


Sjau | Seven

by mightier



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Loki's Kids, Loki-centric, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-04-03 10:23:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 40,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4097383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mightier/pseuds/mightier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki's having another kid.</p><p>Loki/Steve happens eventually but the work primarily focuses on Loki, his pregnancy, and his children. </p><p>Does not feature Happy Uncle Thor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Loki, fragile as his place was among the Avengers, had found himself partaking in their after-battle celebrations more often than not. They took turns preparing the celebratory meals and Loki had impressed them all with his cooking more than once.

Last night though, last night it had been Stark’s turn to cook. He had prepared something called “omelets” which consisted of little more than eggs and cheese with various fillings, which Stark had customized to each of his teammates’ preference. Loki had requested green peppers and onions in his. Now, he regretted the meal in its entirety as he hugged the porcelain bowl of the toilet and groaned in discomfort. His stomach heaved again, ensuring it was rid of all its contents. Loki absentmindedly scanned himself with his magic, trying to find some cause for his illness, searching for virus or bacteria that may have triggered this…less than pleasant activity. He found nothing and contented himself that whatever it was had been left to the toilet along with what remained of his dinner.

Loki stood slowly, fighting off a bought of dizziness. He flushed the toilet and turned to the sink to rinse his mouth, grimacing at the foul taste left on his tongue.

“Feeling alright, sir?” Jarvis. The AI startled Loki momentarily before he could collect himself.

“Never better.” Loki said bitterly, “your creator’s cooking tastes just the same coming up as going down.” It hadn’t really, and in fact Loki had quite enjoyed these “omelets” the night before, consuming nearly as much as Thor.

“Do you wish me to contact one of the medical personnel?” asked Jarvis, ignoring Loki’s pointed remark.

“No, whatever it was I am rid of it now.” Loki replied, still bitter.

“As you say, sir” If Loki didn’t know better he could have sworn the AI did not believe him.

 

And so Loki went about his day. No further incidents of nausea ensued, solidifying Loki’s belief that it had simply been caused by his meal the night before. He spent the day exploring the tower and its many resources, as he did many days. He took mental notes of where the various cameras could not see and scouted spots to place –unfortunate- pranks for the others. Natasha had noticed this habit once, and smiled mischievously as she showed him places she had laid traps before. She was quite the trickster herself and Loki had found himself impressed. This day Loki set two pranks into motion. One for the dear Captain (which Nat had helped him with) and one for Stark who, Loki reasoned, should face retribution for causing Loki so much discomfort through his cooking.

The prank against the Captain was easily noticed when triggered, as there was an immediate yelp of surprise followed soon after by Steve storming out of the bathroom, hair dyed to perfectly match his uniform (stars and stripes included), which Loki and Natasha had a perfect view of from their vantage point in the vents. They kept themselves quiet until they knew Steve had made it back to the main room, surely looking for the two of them, and then they laughed unrestrained, each of their faces turning red as they lost their breath. They exchanged a high five before Loki left to check on the progress of his _other_ prank. The prank against Tony was subtler, and would take a few days to come to full fruition but Loki was eager to see how it progressed. Loki may not have been as skilled with creating the outer shell and coding for robots as Tony was but he had no trouble altering their functions _just_ slightly so that they moved a bit differently than they should have. They would start out with placing themselves just a centimeter off of where Tony intended them, hardly enough to arouse suspicion but enough for frustration, and they would become less and less accurate until they moved in completely the opposite direction than Tony directed.

Loki observed quietly from outside the mechanic’s lab, having concealed himself so he appeared no different from the things that surrounded him, unable to be detected. It was already obvious that Tony was frustrated, muttering something to himself that Loki, listening closely, could make out to be something about checking the proximity sensors. Loki watched as Tony requested nuts and bolts be put into place, only to end up adjusting them all to the correct position himself. Loki chuckled to himself and left, planning on watching again tomorrow when the robots would truly start to act erratic. He spent the rest of his day in his “library” or, as the rest of them called it, “the room with the big piles of books that Loki refuses to organize”. He searched through the piles and finally settled on a rather hefty novel detailing the history of Midgardian machinery (Loki was determined to become Stark’s equal when it came to mechanics). He had finished the book by dinner and was no less confused by robots than he was before. Loki huffed and made his way to the common room, where he was sure the others were likely gathering.

 

There were no exciting battles that day, so no celebratory home cooked meal for dinner. True, not every home cooked meal followed an exciting battle but the day after an exhausting battle they all preferred to simply order take out rather than bicker about who would get off their ass and do the cooking.

They decided to order Thai food. They all knew their favorites by heart and rattled off their order as Steve (star-spangled hair still present, though it would be gone the next day) scribbled it on a notepad. Loki ordered the curry-fried rice. In the back of his head Loki wondered if he should test his stomach with the spicy food, considering how his morning had started. He pushed his worry aside and instead focused on what Clint was doing with the television, which appeared to be changing the channel constantly, looking for approval from Natasha, and then changing the channel again when she did not nod her content with the program. Finally they settled on a movie, not one Loki recognized nor cared to ask the title of. Steve got up when the door rang and returned shortly with their food. They all lounged comfortably, arranged as they always were. Tony lay out on one side, taking a good chunk of space, Steve sat in the middle, leaning back into the deeply cushioned couch. Nat and Clint took the other end of the couch, Nat sitting cross-legged and Clint leaning into her shoulder with his legs propped up on the couch. Loki and Banner sat on the floor, as neither was particularly fond of close contact. Loki leaned against the couch with his legs stretched out in front of him and Banner sat with his legs crossed and hands in his lap at the other end of the couch, near Tony. The curry rice was delicious and Loki felt foolish for worrying his stomach would be upset yet again. Until the next morning, that is.

Loki brushed it off again, it was not the first time the Thai food had disagreed with his stomach and Loki saw now reason for concern as yet again he found himself free of viruses and illness-causing bacteria. If Jarvis thought to comment that this was two days of vomiting in a row, he kept quiet. Once he had cleaned himself, Loki left eagerly to check the state of Tony’s robots.

When he arrived at the mechanic’s lab, Loki was pleased to see that the robots were acting just as he had planned and were now ending up nearly two feet from where Tony intended them to be. It wouldn’t be long now until they started to move in completely the opposite direction. Loki smirked, happy with his work and then found himself, still concealed, scrambling out of Starks way as he left his lab in frustration, muttering about “damn trickster ruining my bots”. Once Tony was out of earshot, Loki laughed aloud. The avengers had surely grown accustomed to his tricks if they were able to spot them that quickly. Loki decided that meant he must add something more to this trick (and perhaps fix the robots while he was at it, satisfied with their part). Knowing Tony’s mild allergy, only one option presented itself to him. Loki would transform himself into a cat and leave hairs all over Tony’s workspace, rendering the mechanic unable to work without going into a sneezing fit.

Loki was partly transformed when his body began to scream at him. He paused, confused. He had felt the sensation before, of a full body protest against his transformation, but never when trying to change from his Aesir form. It typically happened the opposite way, his body protesting when he tried to return to his usual form. Loki concentrated and sent an exploring wave of magic within himself. Ah, there it was. Loki recognized it instantly. How he had missed it when he searched himself for causes of illness he was not sure.

It was then that Tony Stark walked into his lab to find a very confused looking Loki sporting cat ears, whiskers, and tail. He watched the god for a moment, trying to deduce the cause of his confusion but was not able to go unnoticed for long as evidently even gods with cat ears triggered Tony’s allergy and he soon fell into a sneezing fit, his eyes growing watery. When Loki looked up to see Tony, he flushed red and quickly rid himself of his feline features. Tony waited for him to speak, mostly because he was still holding back sneezes and trying to force his eyes to dry.

“Your robots should work fine now.” Loki said, as if that would explain everything, including the cat ears.

“Not gonna talk about the catty features you were sporting just a moment ago? Too early for Halloween, and I’m sure you could come up with a better costume than _that_ anyway.” Tony tried to grin but another sneeze stopped him.

“Ah. Yes, I attempted a spell I have used only rarely before and it backfired, giving me the cat ears and tail you saw before.  It is lucky I have natural shape-shifting ability or I may have been stuck that way for a month.”

“Right. Well any future ‘spells’ that may give you cat ears are only allowed outside my lab. I don’t need any more sneezing episodes.” Tony wrinkled his nose, “and I hope you didn’t leave any dandruff behind or I’ll be sneezing for a week”. Loki grinned at the mortal, doing his best to hide the confusion and dread he now felt. He knew that Tony had at least realized Loki was telling a partial lie and Loki had to admit it wasn’t his best but he thought he deserved a break considering the big news he had just come across. He took his leave from the lab and returned to his own room.

 

Once in the privacy of his chambers, Loki investigated himself more fully, placing a hand on his abdomen. He first used a simple spell to check the health of the child. The child’s own magic prevented Loki from seeing it clearly but Loki was able to get an idea of its general health. It appeared to be growing healthily, much to Loki’s relief. He was more worried about his current state than he cared to admit. As far as he had known, this form was not adapted to bear children but it appeared he was wrong about that. Next he investigated the age of the child. When he got his answer, Loki groaned and placed his face in his hands. The child had been developing for six weeks and Loki had no idea who the other parent could be (he would not say the other parent was the “father”, for in Loki’s experience, at least for him, the other parent could be a woman).

It wasn’t that Loki bedded so many lovers that he lost track of them so quickly. In fact if it had been any week other than six weeks ago, Loki would be nearly positive who the other parent was. As it was, six weeks ago Loki had found himself very needy of touch and bedded more lovers than usual. _Oh._ He certainly had been oblivious it would seem. Loki laughed aloud realizing that he had foolishly failed to recognize that he had, somehow, gone into heat. What cruel tricks the Norns played. He had experienced heats before in other forms (on one occasion deliberately transforming himself into a form experiencing heat) but the fact remained that Aesir men did not experience heat. _But you are not Aesir_.

Loki gathered himself, comfortable momentarily before a sense of panic took him over. He needed to see a healer. He needed to know if the child was _normal_. He couldn’t figure this out on his own due to his child’s protective aura, but he did not trust the young shield agents in the medical ward with this. As such, Loki ended up in the lab of Dr. Banner. 


	2. Chapter 2

Loki did nothing to quiet his approach and it did not take long for Bruce to notice him.

“Loki,” Bruce nodded politely, “unusual to see you in here.” He was right, of course. The two had grown to like each other well enough but the fact remained that they were not exactly friends and never sought each other’s company simply for companionship.

“Do you have a few moments? I wish to speak about something important with you. However, it must remain between us for the time being.” Loki averted his eyes as he spoke, deliberately conveying that he was nervous, hoping it would persuade the doctor to listen to him. It seemed to work, as Bruce watched him for a moment and then called to Jarvis:

“Jarvis, please ensure no one else is able to enter my lab until I am done with Loki and set the surveillance to not record audio.” Bruce pulled an extra chair next to his own as he spoke and motioned for Loki to sit.

“Of course, sir.” Jarvis replied. Loki sighed in relief and relaxed the tension in his shoulders he had not realized he was holding. He took the seat offered to him and crossed his arms, unconsciously hiding his stomach and hunching over in the action.

“Well Loki?” Banner asked gently, obviously noticing the trickster’s discomfort.

“You do have some medical experience, do you not?” Loki kept his voice even but still could not meet the doctor’s eyes.

“I have some, but not much. Loki, are you sick? If so we should send you to the medical ward, they are much more experienced in that area than I am.” Bruce looked concerned and Loki had to stifle a laugh, as he remembered how not too long ago the doctor’s alter ego had left him for dead in the floor. My, how things changed.

“No, Banner. I could not trust them with something this…” He struggled for the right word, “delicate.” Loki shifted in his chair, forcing himself to sit up. “Is that alright?”

“I, uh, of course. I will help however I can.” Bruce regarded Loki and after the trickster did not offer an explanation spoke again. “However, I can not help you if you don’t tell me what is troubling you.” Loki shifted again and dodged the question.

“You must realize, I am neither human nor Aesir. My… biology differs greatly from what you are likely used to. Thor has told you my true parentage?”

“He has mentioned it, yes. Loki, you still have not told me what is bothering you and, differing biology or not, I can do nothing until I know what I am looking for.”

Loki sighed, he had known, of course, in coming here that he would have to speak the words aloud but that did not make it any easier. “Banner, I believe… no, I _am_ with child.” Loki had to put significant effort into not allowing himself to duck his head and turn red in embarrassment. And it would seem the doctor had to do the same. This was very likely the absolute last thing he expected and he seemed to be handling it fairly well all things considered. He did not even question Loki over whether this was some trick. Perhaps Bruce was better at reading body language than Loki gave him credit for.

“Huh. You’re uh… you’re positive?” Bruce stumbled over his words but otherwise remained composed.

“Yes. I can sense the child’s location and general well-being but it’s magic prevents me from seeing it clearly with my own as it is protecting itself from all possible magical attacks.”

“And you want me to do… what exactly?”

“I would like you to confirm the child’s health and, over time, help to check that it is developing correctly. I have never borne a child in this form and until I recognized this pregnancy did not realize it was even possible. Therefore, you can see why I am concerned about its development.”

“You have other children?” Banner asked and to his credit did not sound the least bit mocking. Loki watched the doctor, waiting for some form of scorn to come across his face. Loki was regarded as the “mother of monsters” on Asgard and he did not expect understanding from a mere mortal when even Thor had trouble accepting Loki’s children and child-bearing abilities. The look never came.

“I do. But can we focus on this one for the moment?” The words came out harsher than Loki intended but Banner did not seem to blame him as he nodded sheepishly before speaking again.

“Unfortunately there is not much I can do to confirm the child’s health at the moment. Our medical technologies only truly become helpful from 10 weeks onwards.” Seeing Loki’s barely hidden disappointment, Bruce added, “However, we can occasionally see something at 8 weeks.  Would you be willing to come back in 2 weeks time? I will have all the equipment ready and it will only take a few minutes.”

Loki regarded the doctor, unsure about trusting medical equipment that could tell him nothing until he was nearly 2 months pregnant. But he was hopeful. He nodded his agreement and stood to leave. Banner stopped him.

“Hang on, there is one thing I can do for you. Wait here a moment?” Loki, confused, nodded again and watched as Bruce left his lab and turned down the hall.

As he waited he began to worry he had made a mistake in telling the mortal of his condition. He wondered if Banner was talking with the others now about how the trickster must believe him an idiot, if he thought he would believe a male could become pregnant. Loki’s worry nearly made him leave the room but he reminded himself that Bruce was likely the second most trustworthy of the avengers, just behind Steve and infinitely more useful in these circumstances. Bruce returned not long after Loki had stopped himself from leaving, carrying a bottle of what appeared to be some sort of medicine along with a needle, which appeared to be the kind used for drawing blood.  The doctor spoke before Loki had a chance to say anything.

“Your child, I imagine it is half-human? Or at least half mutant-human?” Banner asked.

“Why does my choice of bed-partner matter to you?” Loki scowled and then reminded himself it may be of importance medically to his child, “It is.” He offered no further specification, because he could give none.

“It doesn’t, but I am unsure how much these would help if it weren’t” Bruce handed Loki the bottle then, which contained some form of pills and had the word “prenatal” on it in large letters. Loki raised an eyebrow to the doctor.

“They’re vitamins, they’ll help to ensure you stay healthy and in turn keep the baby healthy. Just take one once a day”

“Thank you.” Loki said as he set the pills aside, “And the needle?”

“Well, it’s not going to tell us much seeing as you are already sure you’re pregnant but a blood sample will let us know if it’s affecting your hormones in the same way human pregnancies affect women.” Bruce paused, “It will tell us how closely your pregnancy mirrors a human one and give us some idea of how human the baby is.”

Loki paled. If his previous children gave any hints it was unlikely this child would be very human at all. He hoped differently, of course, but it would not change his love for his child if it were it not meant to be human.

“Is that necessary, Banner? I can tell you I am very much not human and none of my other children appear human, nor Aesir nor Jotun.” He sneered as he spoke, sure the doctor would scorn him now.  He did not mention that he had two sons once who appeared Aesir in all manner, until Odin captured them and one was forced into the form of a wolf to kill the other.

“You asked me to do what I could to check that the child was developing correctly. I can do this now and hopefully offer some insight into your child’s state or I can blindly tell you that everything is fine. Which would you prefer?”

“Very well. You may take your blood sample.” Loki held out his arm warily. He most definitely did not flinch when the needle punctured his skin and the doctor drew his blood. Trickster gods did not flinch over scrawny needles. (Yes they did).

Loki left the lab with a promise of results within the next few hours.

 

Unsure what to do with himself when he left the lab, Loki instinctively walked towards the common room, which was also conveniently next to the kitchen as Loki’s body took that time to remind him that it was, in fact, lunch time. Loki’s brain reminded him that he was also eating for two now and should not skip his meals as often as usual. Loki restrained himself from placing a hand over his abdomen again, not wishing to explain his action should he run into –

“Reindeer games! Joining us for lunch for once? It’s taco day.” Stark exclaimed cheerfully, holding up a rather sloppy taco as he grinned at Loki from across the room. Loki approached the table, ignoring Tony. Steve, Clint, and Natasha were also sitting there.

“Tacos? Good enough.” Loki finally replied, when he was nearly to the table.

“Good enough? These tacos are heaven on earth, or whatever applies in your case.” Tony remarked, amused.

It was too late to leave now, but as soon as Loki was within a few feet of the table and he caught his first whiff of the tacos, he felt nauseous. The tacos did not smell right and Loki was unsure he could stand to be near them for long much less eat one. His nausea must have shown on his face (damn, he used to better at controlling his facial expressions, was this a side effect?) because Steve stood up and grabbed a hold of him. Loki hadn’t realized he was swaying until he was steadied.

“Whoa there. You alright?” Steve asked, concern in his voice and on his face. The others at the table looked concerned as well (even Clint, who had yet to really forgive Loki for that time he used mind control on him).

“Fine.” Loki spat and pulled free of Steve, also pulling away from the table and rancid tacos in the process. “I’m going to eat something else.”

“What? You usually love tacos.” Tony again. Loki gave him a stern look that said not to ask anything else and moved to the fridge to find something his body deemed acceptable. The others smartly stayed quiet and Steve returned to his seat. Loki eventually settled on preparing a chicken salad sandwich and grabbed a pear to munch on as well.

None of them commented when Loki chose to stand at the bar rather than return to the table with them. Whatever conversation they had been having before Loki entered rekindled and Loki did not put any effort into paying attention to what they were talking about. At least, not until Tony spoke up again.

“Reindeer Games! Nat doesn’t believe me when I say it’s possible for your spells to backfire. She doesn’t believe it’s possible for your magic to do anything other than you intend, more or less. I told her about the whole ‘cat ears’ incident and she still doesn’t believe me! Help me out?” Tony looked like a five year old asking his mom ‘please, please, please’ over and over again until she said yes.

“Natasha is correct. I have full control over my magic.” Loki went back to eating, forgetting that he would then have to explain what had happened in Tony’s lab.

“Then what the hell happened in my lab earlier?” Tony was quick, Loki sighed. Thankfully Loki’s mind was even quicker than Tony’s and he already had the answer before Tony even finished speaking.

“Tell me, Stark, have you been able to stop your sneezing fits yet? Or does sitting in your lab still make your eyes water?”

“So it was just another of your tricks?” Tony replied, sounding defeated. Loki smirked. He knew the mortal’s ego would be too bruised to question why, then, Loki had looked so confused that morning.

“That would be correct.” Loki replied, sneaking a wink at Nat who looked very pleased. He would have to tell her the news soon, he realized, if he wanted to have the chance to tell her before she figured it out on her own.

They finished their meal in silence after that and Loki departed for his library, his mind too preoccupied to formulate any pranks. Too preoccupied as well, to notice that he was being followed.

 

Loki had only just found a book and settled himself in his lounge chair (laying on his side, with his legs bent slightly, one hand held his book and the other cupped his abdomen) when Natasha decided to speak. He startled slightly when she spoke.

“What’s going on with you?” She asked, her voice even. She was good at hiding her expressions but Loki was positive he saw concern on her face though her voice contained none.

“I’ve just finished lunch and have come to enjoy a pleasant book. This should be obvious considering you have been present through all of it.” Loki replied, he did not feel like telling her quite yet.

“You know that’s not what I’m referring to, I’ve been on duty watching surveillance the last 2 days so don’t try to hide it. First there was whatever the hell happened in Tony’s lab and then not even 2 hours later, after spending time in your room groaning and holding your stomach, you go to Bruce who after some time chatting gave you some form of medicine and drew a sample of your blood. It was obviously something you wanted to speak about privately as there was no audio for the duration of your chat. And don’t even think that I didn’t notice you woke up two days in a row to empty your stomach into the toilet almost immediately. Not to mention your little bought of nausea at lunch earlier.” She let something between anger and worry seep into her voice at the end and Loki almost felt sorry that he couldn’t tell her the truth quite yet.

“Loki, are you ill? Why do you feel the need to hide it?” She said this last slightly quieter than the rest and her voice now held even more worry.

_Not ill, no._ He thought to himself, _just not ready to tell you yet._ He sighed, clearing his head.

“I am not ill and you need not worry.” He turned away from her as he spoke so that he did not see the utter disbelief on her face. Thankfully it was enough to get her to leave and he settled back into his lounge chair. Two hands on his book this time.

He got the news from Banner sometime later; it appeared his baby was very human - Loki’s body was producing copious amounts of the humans’ pregnancy hormones.


	3. Chapter 3

Two uneventful weeks later, Loki walked into Dr. Banner’s lab, not quite sure what to expect but eager all the same.

“Jarvis” Banner called as Loki entered the room, “please turn off surveillance momentarily. I fear our activities will be too obvious if seen even without audio.”

“Of course, Dr. Banner.” The AI replied, “But I fear Mr. Stark will not be happy with this.”

“If he has a problem, tell him to come to me. He does not need to know everything that happens in this tower.”

“Of course, sir.”

Loki marveled at how easily the doctor was able to get the AI to obey his commands. Had Loki asked for the surveillance to be turned off he would likely be refused considering his status as a former villain. Loki turned to look at Bruce, who was clearing one of the many tables in his lab (though one of the few tables lacking a large machine).

“Loki, would you mind laying over here? I’m sorry it probably won’t be very comfortable but it’s all I have.” Bruce asked, moving the last stack of notebooks. Loki walked over, lying where Bruce indicated. The metal table felt cool against his body through the thin fabric of his clothes.

“You are eight weeks along now correct?” Bruce asked, removing the cover over what Loki assumed to be the equipment the doctor had referred to a couple weeks ago when Loki first came to him.

“Yes.” Loki replied, eyes wandering over the table next to him, examining the tools Banner had gathered.

“We won’t be able to see much, but you’ll be able to see your child in its current state. There is also a very small chance we could hear a heartbeat. Typically it’s still a bit too weak at eight weeks but we may hear something.” Banner turned away for a few moments, orienting the screen of the ultrasound machine so that it was facing towards him. When he was ready he turned back and gestured to Loki’s abdomen.

“May I?” Banner asked. Loki hesitated but then closed his eyes and nodded, taking a deep breath. The doctor gently lifted Loki’s shirt as his other hand squeezed warm goo onto Loki’s stomach.

“Would you mind holding your shirt now? I will need both hands for the machine.” Loki took hold of his shirt, not saying anything as he watched Bruce begin to move the wand along his stomach. Bruce moved the wand in slow circles across Loki’s lower abdomen, a look of deep concentration on his face as he watched the screen. He circled for a few more moments and then the look on his face suddenly changed. Loki could not tell if it was wonder or surprise and suddenly felt very self-conscious.

“There is definitely a heartbeat – it’s stronger than I expected at eight weeks. Hang on, Loki you are measuring eight weeks from when, exactly?”

Confused, Loki replied, “From the moment the child was conceived, I thought that was obvious.”

“Ah, see here on earth we express pregnancy as beginning approximately two weeks before the actual conception. Which for human women typically corresponds to the time of their last monthly cycle. So in our terms you would be ten weeks along.”

“That is a ridiculous way to measure the start of pregnancy.” Loki quipped, “Are you unable to identify the time of conception here on Midgard?”

“Don’t ask me why we do it that way, it wasn’t exactly the focus of my thesis, being a nuclear physicist and all.” Bruce shook his head, smiling despite himself. He paused a moment, “Would you like to hear your baby’s heartbeat?” Loki blinked, surprised.

“I… yes, yes I would.” He replied. Bruce pressed a few buttons and then the sound was projected out loud. Loki’s eyes widened as soon as he heard it. It was fast, so very fast, but it was so strong too. He hadn’t had this for any of his other children and the solid confirmation that his child was in fact alive in there had Loki nearly tearing up (he didn’t, of course, he did not wish to lose all his dignity in front of Bruce). As Loki lost himself in the sound, Bruce continued to move the wand across Loki’s abdomen, watching the machine’s screen as he did so.

“Well everything appears to be fine. No visible complications or anything to worry about.” Bruce turned the screen to Loki as he spoke. Loki regarded the screen for a moment, panic setting in though he did not allow it to show. The form within him had four appendages but otherwise did not resemble a human. It had a much too large head and Loki could swear he saw a nub that looked to be some form of tail.

“It doesn’t look human.” He finally said, his voice betraying his nerves. When the doctor’s response was to laugh aloud Loki was sure he had finally reached the end of the man’s good nature that kept him from ridiculing Loki from the start.

“No, it doesn’t. Not yet anyway, it looks like any other human fetus at this stage of development though. In fact, if I didn’t know better I would say it was fully human and not just half human.”

“Even the tail is typical of a human?” Loki asks, brushing his fingers over it on the screen.

“That little nub? Yes. It’s the end of the child’s spine and will go away soon enough as it grows.”

“So the child is truly normal then?”

“Yes, it appears so. We can do another ultrasound in a couple weeks to check up on things again, if you want.”

“Ah – yes, yes of course.” Loki watched the screen a moment longer, attempting to memorize his child’s features.

“If you’d like I can-” the loud alarm bell that meant the avengers should be assembling to fight some evil interrupted the doctor. Bruce and Loki both jumped at the sound, but quickly composed themselves. Loki sprung from the table and began to move towards the door.

“Loki, is it a good idea for you to go out there considering…?” Bruce did not finish his sentence, but he didn’t need to. Loki turned back to the doctor, his hand hovering over his abdomen as he considered the doctor’s warning.

“Jarvis, what manner of trouble are we being called to fight?” Loki asked.

“It appears to be a large snake sir, reports state that it came from the ocean and is now traversing the town.” The AI replied. Loki closed his eyes and half-smiled for a moment.

“Has he caused much damage? Any deaths?”

“It does not appear so sir, there is widespread panic over his appearance and he has crushed a few vehicles in his path but there are no reported deaths. The creature seems to have a specific destination in mind.”

“Banner,” Loki said with a smirk, “You need not worry, that is my son and it appears he is looking for me. I shall go retrieve him before he causes more damage.” With that, Loki vanished, some silent spell transporting him presumably to his son’s side. Banner stood for a moment, bewildered, before moving to the door and heading upstairs to where the rest of the avengers would be gathering to inform them that Loki was handling the situation.

 

When Banner arrived, the others were standing in a semi-circle and Thor appeared to be speaking. Bruce wondered for a moment what Thor could be saying, though he imagined it was some form of explanation of what the creature actually was. When he got within earshot, he was appalled at what he heard.

“The Midgard serpent is a dangerous beast. In Asgard, it is prophesized that the creature will be one of those to bring about Ragnarok, or the end of days. We can not face this foe lightly and we must not hold back as I fear even our strongest attacks may do little damage to it.” Thor sounded angry as he spoke.

“Hang on,” Bruce interrupted, “Loki just told me that the snake is actually his son seeking him out and that we have no reason to be fearful. Loki went to retrieve him himself.” The others looked at Bruce as if he was crazy, and perhaps they were right to. He did just tell them that the god of lies had confessed to having a giant snake for a son, it was understandable they would think it false. _But they also didn’t know the truth of Loki’s ability to bear children as Bruce did._

“Aye, the serpent is my brother’s get. However, Loki has always been blind to the true monstrosity of his children and would see them as harmless even as they tore the world in two.” And now they all looked at Thor like he was the crazy one. There was silence for a few minutes before Tony spoke.

“Loki, god of mischief and lies, that Loki, has _children_? As in plural, more than one?” Leave it to Stark to ask the questions everyone was thinking but too polite to bring up.

“Yes, Stark. My brother has six children. Five of whom are still alive and each one of them is dangerous, though he would try to tell you differently.”

“Of course I would say differently.” Loki appeared suddenly, accompanied by a rather large snake (though it had shrunk in size from how it appeared on the news), and they all jumped at the sight of him.

“Did Thor mention that the reason one of my children is dead is because he and Odin trapped him along with his twin brother and then forced Vali into the form of a rabid wolf, causing him to kill Narfi, his own brother?” The poison and sadness in Loki’s words was unmistakable. The avengers, save Thor, all had nauseous looks on their faces.

“Loki. You know those actions were in atonement for crimes you yourself committed” Thor’s anger did not subside as he regarded his brother and the serpent, his grip on Mjolnir tightening.

“Now wait a minute,” It was Steve who spoke this time, “I do not doubt that Loki has committed crimes in Asgard as he has on Earth but you punished his sons, one with death, for something he himself did?”

“The laws of Asgard are not for mortals to question. The punishment was fair and deserved for the crime he committed.”

“Thor, I think it would be best if you left. We will talk with Loki and decide who to believe about the dangers of his children.” Steve nodded towards the door as he spoke, his orders clear. Thor glared around the room before leaving loudly, flying off to who knows where. When Thor was gone, Steve turned to Loki.

“I think it’s safe to say there’s a lot you need to tell us Loki. But let’s start with a simple one: what is your son’s name so we can refer to him properly?”

“His name is Jormungand, and he _is_ able to speak for himself.” The other’s watched, alarmed, as the snake spoke, raising it’s head to nearly eye-level as it did so.

“Jor, it may be best if you took a more ‘human’ form for the moment. Best not to unease the mortals more than necessary.” Loki said softly as he watched the other’s reaction to his son. Jormungand turned to look at Loki before nodding. His form appeared to shimmer for a moment and then a human, appearing no more than 18, took the serpent’s place. His appearance very much mirrored Loki’s: bright green eyes, and very dark, long hair and he was built very slimly just as Loki was. He was also quite tall, nearly as tall as Loki and taller than almost everyone else in the room.

“So Loki, six children? How’ve you kept that hidden for so long?” Tony was the first to speak, yet again.

“You may have noticed by Thor’s remarks that my children are widely unaccepted. Though they do not bring me shame, I have learned not to bring them up unless necessary to avoid ridicule.” Loki answered, more honestly than any of them expected and Loki recognized their surprise. “I will never lie about matters regarding my children, as I said they do not bring me shame.”

“And Jormungand,” Steve started, stumbling over the name but hiding it well, “are you the youngest or oldest?”

“I am the second oldest. My brother Sleipnir was born a few centuries before I was.” Jor replied, his tone as honest as Loki’s.

“Sleipnir takes the form of a black eight-legged stallion most naturally. He is capable of becoming human just as Jor is but he does not prefer it.” Loki added.

“And your other children?” Natasha spoke for the first time, looking genuinely intrigued.

“Hela, my only daughter, came after Jor. She is beautiful.” Loki said, eyes shining, “She rules Helheim and looks over the dead who did not achieve Valhalla. Her natural form is that of an Aesir girl, though half of her body appears dead.” He paused a moment, gauging the avengers’ reactions before continuing.

“Fenrir was next, he takes the form of a large wolf-like dog. He has always been a troublemaker but has never harmed anyone. He acts much like your most exuberant canine companions here on Midgard.” Loki frowned as he finished talking about Fenrir and Jormungand moved to put an arm around him.

“My youngest sons, Narfi and Vali, were twins. Their natural forms were completely Aesir in appearance and for a time they had the luxury of acceptance that none of my other children had been granted. As you heard me explain earlier, Narfi is now dead. Vali remains in the form of a wolf and secludes himself from everyone, even me.” Loki was obviously holding back tears as he finished, so Steve asked another question to distract him.

“And to what do we owe your visit Jormungand? Loki hadn’t told us you were going to visit, unless he didn’t know either?”

“No, he did not know that I was coming. I sensed his magic as I was passing by this city under the waters but it was different from how it was the last time I saw him. I was concerned that something was wrong so I came to investigate.”

“Always worried about me dear, but there is no need.” Loki smiled, distracted from his earlier sadness, or simply hiding it.  “I will explain the change in my magic when we are alone.” Loki winked at his son, and stole a glance at Banner who had remained silent this whole time. The doctor’s face was blank, betraying nothing that would indicate he knew something the others didn’t, for which Loki was thankful.

“Did they all have the same mother? Not to be rude but that is a LOT of genetic variety among 2 people.” It was Stark speaking again, of course.

“Why, yes. Other than Narfi and Vali they all had the same mother. Although the mother took different forms.” Loki avoided mentioning that in this case _he_ played the role of mother and that only Hela, Jor, and Fenrir shared both parents the same. “Now, I would like to spend some time with my son. Should you all come up with more questions, you may ask me later.” With that, Loki ushered Jormungand out of the room and towards his own bedroom.

 


	4. Chapter 4

It did not take them long to reach their destination and Loki motioned for Jor to take a spot on the bed. Jor did, shifting his form back to that of a snake in the process. Loki took a seat next to him.

“Has my magic changed so much you could sense the difference even from the ocean?” Loki asked after a moment.

“Yes. You forget, mother, that I am quite adept at sensing magic, despite that I have much less control over it than my siblings do.”

“Of course I don’t forget, darling. It is simply that I am surprised that it has had an effect on my magic this early on.” Loki stroked Jor as he spoke but would not meet his eye.

“What _has_ affected your magic, mother? Now that I am near you it seems as if the change comes from you and yet does not all at once.”

“You call me ‘mother’ and yet you cannot deduce the cause yourself.” Loki shook his head smiling, “I am with child Jor. You will become an older brother once again.” Jor did not respond at first but rather ran his eyes over Loki, examining him.

“That is wonderful news mother! I look forward to seeing my sibling.” He paused, “But I am confused, have you shifted your form in some imperceptible way to allow this? You appear to wear the same Aesir form you always have.”

“I have not, and I am still unsure how it was possible myself. I wonder if perhaps my Jotun biology has somehow bled over to this form as it would seem I experienced a heat some weeks ago and it was during that time that I conceived.” Loki laid a hand over his abdomen as he spoke and Jor moved his head to rest there as well.

“It does not matter how it came to be, I will never be upset to hear that I will have yet another sibling.” Jor nuzzled at Loki, expressing content as best as he was able in his reptilian form. “When will you tell the others?” Jor asked, lifting his head so his eyes were even with Loki’s.

“I plan to tell them in a few weeks time, when I am able to devise an excuse to leave for a few days without arousing suspicion.”

“I see. Will you allow me to come with you when you go? It has been some time since I have seen them since I am not able to travel between dimensions as you are.”

“Of course, my son. Will you be staying nearby then? It will be much easier to find you if so.”

The two sat companionably for a while and then Jor asked to see more of the tower. He wished to know what sort of environment his newest sibling would be living in.

 

Loki showed Jor through most of the rooms without spending much time on any of them. He paused a while at his library, allowing Jor to peruse his collection of books before they moved on. After some time they found themselves near the recreation rooms. They found Clint and Natasha in one of the many padded rooms made for sparing, practicing their hand-to-hand combat. Nat appeared to be winning and took Clint’s momentary distraction when he saw the two enter to end the match and put Clint on the floor.

“Come to try your hand at fighting?” Nat asked, not even blinking at Jor’s serpent form, “I could use a new sparring partner, I think Clint is getting slow.” She winked at them as she placed her knee on Clint’s chest.

“Oh shove off” Clint replied, attempting to roll out from under her but failing. Nat stood up grinning and offered Clint a hand.

“I don’t think that would be the best idea.” Replied Loki, “Jor tends to use his teeth and we don’t want to have to send you to the medical ward for antivenin.” As if to prove Loki’s point, Jor opened his mouth and revealed his fangs.

“He’s right. I wouldn’t bite on purpose but I’ve grown up with it as my primary fight mechanism and it’s hard to stop myself from using it.”

“Next time then” Nat said, “How about you, Loki?”

“I’m afraid I can’t right now, I’m in the middle of showing Jor around the tower and he needs to leave soon so we need to be moving on.”  He answered, and turned to leave with Jor at his side.

They ended up near Tony’s lab next and it appeared that Stark was working on some new machine; he was messing with the figures projected above his desk and periodically throwing pieces away. They didn’t go inside. The next logical place to go was Bruce’s lab, of course. The doctor did not appear to be in his lab when they arrived but Loki led Jor in and pointed out the various machines that he could at least give a vague description of. He also showed Jor the machine that allowed them to see the child as it developed within Loki. This intrigued Jor and he spent quite some time examining the machine.

“How does it work?” he asked.

“It sends sound waves into the patients body, above the range we can hear, and then uses the echoes that bounce back to form an electronic image.” The two turned to see that Banner had entered the lab. “Which reminds me, I have something for you, Loki.” The doctor walked over to a drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper. He carried it over to Loki who looked at it curiously.

“Is this…?” Loki asked, thinking he recognized it.

“Yes. I printed it for you after you left earlier. That’s your baby.” Bruce smiled as he spoke.

“Look Jor, here is your little brother or sister. They don’t look like much of anything yet but in time they’ll develop into their true form just as you did.” Loki held the image in front of Jormungand, speaking as he would to a child. It made Bruce realize he had no idea how old any of Loki’s children were.

“Loki, how long has it been since you last had a child?” Banner asked.

“Fenrir is 2360 this year, he was the last child I carried myself. Vali, the youngest, is 2000.” Loki replied absentmindedly, still marveling over the picture.

“I… see…” Bruce could hardly cover his shock at hearing the age of Loki’s children. If Loki’s youngest was just under two thousand years older than him, he was not sure he wanted to know how old Loki actually was.

“You sound shocked, Banner,” Loki said, looking up at the doctor. “You forget the Aesir have much longer lives than Midgardians. I myself have been around for 5500 years. And since I am sure you are wondering: Sleipnir is 3200, Jor is 2750, and Hela is 2550.”

“And if we speak in equivalent ages for humans?” Banner asked, astounded. Loki thought for a moment.

“150 of our years are approximately equal to one of yours. So in your terms I would be 36, Sleipnir would be 21, Jor 18, Hela 17, Fenrir 15, and Vali 13.”

“Huh,” was all the doctor could say. Loki was really quite young he realized, and, if Loki was correct in his equivalencies, Sleipnir was born when Loki was only about 15 years old.

“If you don’t mind me asking, just for medical history reasons, how many of your children did you carry yourself?” Bruce questioned.

“Four. All except for Narfi and Vali.” Loki crossed his arms and regarded the doctor evenly, obviously expecting more questions.

“You mentioned earlier that all except for your youngest had the same mother, you were referring to yourself as the mother then?”

Loki nodded in response.

“You mentioned changing forms?”

Loki sighed before responding, seeming to gather his thoughts as he did so.

“Yes. For Sleipnir I was in the form of a mare, which I had done to lure a pesky builder’s horse away from its work. He was unplanned, though of course I love him all the same.

“Jor, Hela, and Fenrir actually share the exact same parentage. I was in my Jotun form for all three, as my wife at the time was a Jotun as well. Gender is not particularly strict among the Jotun, you see. During my pregnancies I chose to allow my children’s forms take on the best reflections of their souls. Something I was capable of in that form and the cause of why they all appear quite different.

“Vali and Narfi were my first and only children with my last wife, Sigyn, she was Aesir so of course I kept my Aesir form with her. She hasn’t been the same since we lost Narfi and I haven’t seen her in nearly 500 years, since just after it happened.” Loki stopped, realizing he had said more than strictly needed to answer the doctor’s question.

“I see, thank you for telling me all this. It may help me to better understand this pregnancy, knowing your past experiences.” Bruce sounded a bit overwhelmed but hid it well.

With that, Loki and Jor moved on with their tour. They came next to the common room, which was empty except for Steve who was watching what appeared to be the midgardians History channel. Loki had learned quickly it was not a source for accurate history and Steve realized that as well, since he often watched the shows just to mock them and tell everyone exactly how inaccurate they were.

“They are trying to say that Nazi Germany had alien technology. How ridiculous is that? The closest thing anyone had to alien technology was the machine they used to create me, and even that wasn’t actually alien.” Steve did not look up as he spoke, but it was obvious he meant the remark as a greeting. Loki grinned; he enjoyed bickering with the captain about human history as they each saw it very differently.

“Perhaps not alien technology, but they did have Asgardian technology.” Loki responded. Steve looked up now, disbelief on his face.

“The ‘Red Skull’ as he called himself used the Tessaract to power weapons. You faced him, did you not? Surely you realized that technology was not of earth.” Steve must have recognized it then, because he shut his mouth and turned back to the TV with more serious interest, grabbing the remote to pause the show as he talked with Loki so he did not miss it.

“Loki, if you don’t mind me asking, are our myths about Asgard accurate?” Steve asked.

“You wish to know if the stories about my children are true.” Loki replied, “Yes, for the most part they are. Though Jor is far from large enough to swallow the earth, and wouldn’t even if he could.”

“Talk about indigestion. Yuck. I also don’t bite my own tail.” The serpent added, humor in his voice.

“And Fenrir is truly more dog-like than wolf-like. He poses no threat to the sun, or anyone. The stories of Hela are perhaps the most accurate of your myths, and the tale of Narfi and Vali is mostly accurate as well as you likely have deduced already. My children pose no danger to the realms.”

“And the tale of how Sleipnir came to be?” Steve asked, seeming slightly embarrassed as he spoke.

“Yes, that story is accurate as well. Though I did not so much give Sleipnir to Odin as Odin took him from me.” He waited for Steve to put together all that it meant for the tale of Sleipnir to be accurate.

“So you gave birth to him yourself, making you the mother in our terms. Does that mean you also gave birth to all but your youngest yourself? As you said earlier the ‘mother’ took different forms.” Steve brows furrowed as he spoke, working through the new information.

“That is correct, you are more clever than you give yourself credit for, Rogers.” It was silent for a few moments as Steve took in all that had been said.

“I’m sorry about all that the Asgardians did to your children, it was undeserved no matter your crimes.” Steve looked as though he wished to embrace Loki, but obviously realized it would be an ill-received gesture.

“Our lives may have been scorned by the Asgardians, but we are mostly free to do as we please. Our punishments may seem severe from the outside but in reality they have allowed us to live away from those who despise us.” Jormungand spoke now, sensing that Loki was feeling guilt for what happened to them as he often did.

“I see. I am glad you are able to find happiness that way.” Steve smiled at the serpent.

“Is that all of your questions?” Loki asked, crossing his arms.

“Just one more.” Steve said, and then looked sheepishly at Jor and then Loki.

“Are you able to bear children in your current form?” Steve asked. Loki was taken aback by the question. He could not lie, for it would make it harder to tell the truth of his pregnancy later, but he could not tell the truth without causing the captain worry. Steve _had_ been one of those Loki took to bed all those weeks ago, and Loki could not be certain that Steve would worry needlessly.

“This form is Aesir, and there are no records of Aesir men giving birth.” This was true, though it left out all that was relevant to Loki’s _unusual_ situation.

“Right, of course. Sorry.” Steve blushed, as if embarrassed he had even asked the question.

“You are simply gathering information.” Loki waved his hand dismissively, “You may not have been trained as a spy but you have picked up a few of their habits and talents through your time with them.” Loki and Jor spent a few minutes more talking with Steve (mundane things, Steve made a point of talking with Jor as he would anyone else he just met – asking about how he spent his free time and the like). It wasn’t long before some of the others began to filter into the room, their stomachs leading them to find food. When most of them had gathered (all but Tony were present), Steve stood and asked the question they were all wondering:

“So. Who’s cooking tonight?”

“If Jor is able to stay for dinner, I will cook.” Loki winked at his son, “I’ll make his favorite.” When the others looked sick wondering what could possibly be the favorite dinner of the serpent, Loki nearly laughed but did not say anything else.

“Your parmesan chicken specialty?” Jor asked eagerly.

“That’s the one.” Loki answered, “With the alfredo noodles you love so much.” The others breathed audible sighs of relief. They would not be eating mice or other typical snake fare.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, I picture Jor's full size form as appearing to be a giant banded sea krait/snake with black & white striping.

And so Loki cooked. Jor helped him, having returned to his human form, and the two worked gracefully in the kitchen together. They seemed to instinctively know what each other was working on and handed off the necessary ingredients as soon as they were needed. It did not take long for wondrous smells to fill the kitchen.

By the time the cooking was finished, it seemed every one of the avengers was starving and ready to eat Loki’s so-called “specialty”. Even Tony had ordained to leave his lab rather than ignore the delicious smell of the meal. They all took their places at the table and Loki filled each plate as Jor ferried them to the table. When they had all been served and Loki and Jor had taken their seats (Jor taking Thor’s usual place) they all dug in eagerly.

It would seem the avengers approved of Loki’s cooking, as they all cleaned or nearly cleaned their plates and they mumbled happily. None of them spoke but they sat enjoying each other’s company for some time before Jor spoke:

“That was wonderful but I’m afraid I need to be leaving. It was a pleasure to meet you all,” Jor stood, bowing, “I’m sure I will visit again soon.” He shifted to his snake form yet again as he stood up from his bow.

“Nice to meet you too, Jormungand.” It was Natasha who spoke, her words sounding kinder than Loki had ever heard her. Perhaps she had spent time around children before, though Loki was sure she did not have any herself.

“Would you like me to walk with you Jor?” Loki asked, standing to follow. At the serpents nod, they both left. When they had walked through the doors, Tony spoke up.

“Am I the only one still trying to figure out how the hell Loki has kids?” When they all looked at him incredulously, he kept talking (he tended to do that).

“I mean, really, out of all of us, _Loki_ is the only one to have kids? Am I the only one that sees the irony here?”

“He’s not the only one to have kids.” Now it was Clint’s turn to receive confused looks from everyone, save Nat. “I have a son and a daughter, and another on the way.” And now they all looked at Nat, questions brimming.

“He has a wife you know. And no, I’m not his wife.” Nat rolled her eyes.

“You’ve, uh, you’ve never told us that Clint. Congrats to you and your wife.” Steve nodded at Clint as he spoke the last bit.

“What the hell. Anyone else have secret children to tell us about? Am I the only one that _doesn’t_ have kids?” Tony sounded flustered.

“I don’t have any kids, nor do I plan to.” Bruce answered.

“None for me, even if I wanted them.” Nat replied, garnering a look of sympathy from Clint.

“Any blonde-haired mini captains running around?” Tony asked, looking at Steve.

“No.” Steve replied shortly. It was silent for a few moments before Tony spoke out yet again.

“Does Thor have kids? If Loki has six kids what are the chances Thor has none?”

“If our myths are correct,” Steve started, unsure whether the accuracy they had for Loki’s kids applied here as well, “Then I believe he has 3 children. A daughter and 2 sons.” They all looked at him, surprised. “What? I know how to do research.”

“We’ll have to ask Loki when he gets back.” Nat said.

 

“I am pleased, Mother.” Jor said, breaking the silence they had had for the last ten minutes since leaving the tower. “Your companions seemed quite friendly and I believe it will be a safe place for you to raise my brother or sister.”

“I do hope so darling, it would be dreadful to find a new place on such short notice.” Loki replied.

“Mother… the man you call Captain, he has something akin to magic about him. As does the doctor.” Jor commented.

“Yes, they do in a way. They are both mutated humans. They were exposed to chemicals and injections that made them… more than human. I suppose you could consider these mutations a form of magic.” Loki mused.

They were nearing the shore now and Jor began to grow his form slowly to his full size. His scales rippled as they multiplied and grew along with his body and alternating white and dark stripes appeared along his length. His tail began to flatten at the end, revealing its nature as a rudder used for swimming. When they reached the shore, Jor was nearly 30 feet in length and still growing. He slipped gracefully into the water and almost instantly sprung to his full size at nearly 150 feet long, his head as large as Loki.

Loki stroked his son between the eyes, a sensation that Jor had always found comforting.

“I’ll come to find you in a few weeks time when I go to tell the others. Until then, keep yourself hidden. The mortals do not always take so kindly to creatures that appear so different from them and they may try to harm you.”

“They have not harmed me in the two thousand years I have resided on this planet and I do not plan to let the mortals hurt me now. You need not worry.” With that, the two said their goodbyes. When Jor had disappeared beneath the waves, Loki teleported himself back to the tower.

 

“Yes, Thor does have three children.” Loki answered when the avengers asked him as soon as he returned to the tower. “They are Thrud, Modi, and Magni. His children are all Aesir.” If Loki held any bitterness towards Thor’s offspring, it did not show. 


	6. Chapter 6

Loki’s day began once again with him hugging the toilet as his stomach heaved. His boughts of nausea had been seemingly random they last couple weeks. He had days where he only experienced nausea in the morning, days where he had none at all, and days where the nausea stuck with him the entire day.  He hoped today was a morning-only day as he owed Natasha a sparring match. He had made plans with her the night before to meet at 10:30. Loki looked at the clock and, seeing it was already 10 o’clock (had he slept that late? He was usually an early-riser), dressed quickly and went to the kitchen to find something to eat.

He walked into the sparring room at 10:25 to find Natasha already warming up for their match. She smiled and nodded at him when he came in but otherwise continued with her warm-up. Loki tried to return the smile but it did not last long as Loki felt another wave of nausea wash over him. He only just made it to the trash, kneeling next to it, before his stomach emptied itself once more. Loki felt a gentle touch on his back and looked up weakly to find Nat standing over him, her brows creased in worry. His stomach heaved again and Loki turned back to the trash bin.

“Is this the same sickness you had two weeks ago?” She asked, “Whatever Bruce gave you is obviously not helping.” Loki, stomach finally empty, turned so that his back was leaning against the wall.  His face was still pale and he held his stomach tightly.

“I fear it will not go away for a couple more weeks yet.” Loki replied. Perhaps he should tell her now, he thought.

“Well what the hell is it? There aren’t many illnesses that can cause you to be sick for four weeks and none of them are something I ‘need not worry’ about.” She sounded frustrated and worried at the same time. Loki looked at her for a moment before deciding it was time.

“You need not worry because it is not an illness causing my nausea.” Loki looked away as he spoke, for all that he was not shamed by his children Loki still had trouble facing others when he told them the truth.

“Loki, what are you talking about?” She still did not believe him that she shouldn’t be worried, it seemed.

“I am talking about the fact that I am with child, not ill.”

“You…what?” The worry in her voice was replaced by something else now, confusion and some anger.

“I believe we were just discussing last night that I do, in fact, have children. I am expecting another. I’m not sure where your confusion is coming from.” Loki forced a bit of mockery into his tone, trying to make light of the situation. What he had not expected was for Natasha to thump him in the side of his head and it was his turn to look confused.

“You were going to spar with me even though you’re pregnant? You’re an absolute idiot. You know I fight dirty and I could have harmed your child without even realizing it.” She nearly shouted as she spoke and Loki recognized that her anger came from worry rather than scorn. Loki ducked his head, feeling guilty for not thinking about the possible harm that could come to his child.

“How far along are you?” She asked, calmed now, her eyes wandering down to Loki’s stomach.

“10 weeks.” He replied, “and no, I am not showing yet.” He added when he saw the path her eyes were following.

“Bruce is the only other one that knows?”

“I told Jor as well while he was here. The change in my magic that he had sensed was him recognizing the magic the child within me has.”

“So you really are pregnant.” She whistled, “That’s definitely not something I expected all things considered.”

“Yes, I really am.” Loki replied and it was then he remembered the picture Bruce had given him yesterday and he pulled it out from where he had stuck it in his pocket before he left his room. He presented the photo to her and she took it gingerly.

“Wow.” Her eyes moved over the picture, taking in every detail of it. She brushed her fingers over the photo with wonder in her eyes. “I’ve seen ultrasounds before with Clint’s wife but I never cease to be amazed by them.” She handed the photo back to Loki. “I suppose a congratulations is in order.” She finished, offering her hand to Loki to help him stand. She patted him on the back when he stood and he smiled at her. He was glad she had taken it so well; it gave him hope for how the others would react to the news.

“I suppose we’ll have to re-schedule our sparring match then?” Loki asked, his voice light and happy.

“I’ll pencil it in for, oh, eight months from now? You should be recovered enough by then.” She bumped his arm with her shoulder as she spoke, laughter in her voice. “Why don’t we do a little something less physical for now?” She had mischief in her eyes and Loki beamed.

“Who shall we get today?” He asked, the mischief in his eyes mirroring hers.

“We haven’t gotten Clint in a long time, I say it’s his turn.” And with that the two were off, whispering about possible pranks they could play on the archer. Knowing he would be practicing with his bow later, they settled on replacing his arrows with ones that would burst into feathers as soon as the bow was released. Loki provided the magic to create and disguise the arrows and Natasha snuck into Clint’s locker to replace them as well as hide the real arrows.

The range did not offer any hiding places, so they opted to observe from the surveillance room instead. Just as they settled in, Clint entered – bow and magicked arrows in hand. The archer took a few moments to input the targets he wanted to the computer. The room was another of Stark’s many inventions to help the avengers train, it had many types of self-repairing targets all of which could be programmed to move in a specific pattern, set to stationary, or set to random to allow training for being swarmed by opponents. The room could be used with arrows and other projectiles as well as hand-to-hand combat, meaning they could all benefit from using it.

After a few minutes, Clint took his place in the middle of the room and the targets began moving – evidently in random mode. They watched as Clint dodged their movements and readied his first arrow, though he did not shoot it yet. When Clint finally had a clear shot, he raised his bow, drew, and released – a shower of pink feathers bursting forth as the arrow disappeared. Clint, not one to be easily surprised, stared for only a split second before rolling to dodge the target heading his way (had he managed to shoot it, it would have stopped immediately). As he stood, Clint shouted.

 “Hold up!” The targets stopped moving, the audio command pausing the simulation. When they had all come to rest Clint pulled another arrow from his quiver, examining it. He rolled it in his hands, held it on two fingers to check the balance, and plucked at the fletching, and then loaded and shot it – another shower of pink feathers.

Nat and Loki could not contain their laughter, especially as a few feathers ended up in Clint’s hair. They both leaned back in their chairs, relishing in the success of the prank.

“Alright you two.” It was Clint, still in the range but obviously addressing them knowing they would be watching. “You better give me my real arrows back. You’ve had your fun watching me and I still need to get some actual practice in.” Clint’s voice was as unexpressive as ever but Loki had learned early on that this came from the fact that the archer had poor hearing, and was only able to hear thanks to powerful hearing aids.

“I guess I better go retrieve his real arrows for him, he won’t be able to find them without my help.” Nat said, standing to leave. “Are you coming?”

“Ah, no, I don’t think I will,” Loki answered slowly, his face losing color again, “I’m starting to feel a bit nauseous again. It may be best for me to spend the afternoon in my chambers so I don’t worry anyone.” Nat gave him a look of pity, obviously feeling sorry for him.

“Alright. Make sure you drink a lot of water; all of this throwing up can dehydrate you pretty quickly. I’ll bring you some saltines later. Oh, and Loki?”

“Yes?”

“Why pink?” Loki laughed, momentarily forgetting the rolling of his stomach.

“I’m not sure. I didn’t plan any specific color really as I was making them but I suppose pink worked out well.”

“Hmm.” Was her only reply, and Loki wondered what she was thinking. She left after that. Loki sat for a few minutes, ensuring his stomach was quiet enough that he could make it to his rooms without incident, and then he departed as well.

 

Clint asked him that night at dinner if it would be possible to create arrows that burst in a similar way but would create some form of shroud to limit visibility. Loki agreed to investigate the possibility.


	7. Chapter 7

When he had reached 13 weeks, Loki decided it was time to tell his other children of his pregnancy.

“You’ll start showing in a few weeks,” Nat had told him, poking his side gently, “Maybe sooner with how skinny you are, so you should tell them now if you really want to surprise them.”

Loki had found himself spending a lot of time with Nat the last few weeks. She was a good resource for him, having spent a lot of time with Clint’s kids and she seemed genuinely interested in knowing how he/the baby was doing. They had kept up their pranks as well, or at least Nat had and she kept him informed of them. Loki still found himself in the bathroom, stomach rolling, fairly frequently.

“The second trimester is always much easier.” Nat had assured him. Loki tried to believe her but day after day when he woke to more nausea he began to doubt. He had not had this much trouble with his other pregnancies and had told Natasha as much. Her response had been to look at him sympathetically and remind him that, as his child was half human, this pregnancy would affect him more similarly to the way human women were effected (something which Bruce had confirmed in his last ultrasound just the day before, when he noted the child was developing at the same pace a human child would).

“Yes, it is time my other children knew.” He said to himself. “Jarvis, I will be away for a few days, if anyone asks after me tell them only that I have traveled to visit my family and will return shortly.” With that, Loki disappeared.

 

He met Jor near the ferry docks, where he had promised to find him when it was time to tell the others. Jor shrunk his size as he had done when he visited the tower and Loki placed a hand on his head before transporting them both to Asgard. Loki was careful to bring them to a place they would not be noticed right away and they walked the rest of the distance to Sleipnir’s stables. Both Jor and Loki disguised themselves, not wishing to be recognized by the Aesir.

Sleipnir’s stables were only minutes from where they landed and it was not long before they walked into the grand building. It smelled of sweet hay and gold accents lined the walls. Sleipnir’s stall was at the far end and had a door through which he could leave to enter a large field, free to wander as he pleased. Sleipnir was enjoying his lunch when he noticed them.

“Leave us.” Sleipnir said, addressing the stable hands that milled about doing small chores for the stallion. When the barn was empty, Loki and Jor returned to their normal forms.

“Why are you here mother? You know they still do not accept you and will look for any reason to imprison you again.” Sleipnir sighed as he walked up to them.

“I have come to simply pass on some news to you. Can you not sense a change in me?” Loki spread his arms slightly, presenting himself.

“You smell the same as you always have.” Sleipnir snorted, “But I am not as good at sensing the subtleties of magic as Jor is. Do tell me your news?” He nudged Loki and Loki scratched his forehead, humming to himself.

“I am with child.” Loki said excitedly. Sleipnir pulled back, and looked over him before placing his nose over Loki’s stomach and sniffing at him gently.

“You can not be too far along,” Sleipnir mused, “The change in your scent is there but nearly imperceptible. I did not notice it at first.”

“I am 11 weeks into this pregnancy, though the midgardians measure the time differently and would say I am 13 weeks along.” Loki grinned.

“The mortals have strange ways.” Sleipnir said, shaking his head.

“You haven’t lived among them for centuries as I have. Their ways are stranger even than you believe.” Jor raised his head so he was nearly eye-level with Sleipnir, laughter in his eyes.

“That is true brother.” Sleipnir’s voice held the happiness he couldn’t express in his form. “How have you been?”

Loki left the two to reconnect for a while, knowing that they delighted in each other’s company. He wandered the stable, looking critically at the conditions his eldest was made to live in. He knew Sleipnir had long ago accepted and even begun to enjoy his role as warhorse to the king (a matter of strife between the two of them) but he still worried that his son was treated as simply another steed and that his intelligence went unrecognized. Loki was pleased to find that the stable was clean and it appeared Sleipnir’s needs were well looked after. He would not need to rant to the stable boys about leaving things a mess and expecting his son to live in it. Loki noticed, amused, that there appeared to be a herd of mares kept in the field bordering Sleipnir’s. Loki knew, of course, that the All-father wished to breed Sleipnir but the stallion had never shown interest in any of the mares presented to him and that would wait until he could find a mate of his own choosing.

“Mother?” Sleipnir called, getting Loki’s attention from where he stood at the other end of the stable. Loki turned and began to walk back to his two sons.

“Yes dear?”

“I just remembered, I have news for you as well.” The stallion looked excited, nearly prancing in place.

“Oh?” Loki asked, wondering what news could have his son so excited.

“I have finally found the mare I wish to take as my mate. She lives in the wilds and I have gone to her each night to ask her to return with me but she has not yet agreed to. She is beautiful mother; her coat is the color of one of Idunn’s golden apples and her mane and tail darker than the night sky. She carries a brilliant star upon her forehead and she wears four white stockings.” Sleipnir’s eyes twinkled as he spoke. Loki beamed, he was happy for his son and if this mare was truly wild it was unlikely that Odin would tame her or get a hold of any foal she and Sleipnir had together. 

“I should like to meet her one day.” Loki smiled, excited for his son. “And I would like to know in a timely manner if you decide to give me any grandchildren.” Both of his sons rolled their eyes at him, obviously not planning grandchildren for him in the near future.

“You know, I was your age when I had you, Jor, and Sleipnir even before that. It is not entirely out of the realm of possibilities for me to expect grandchildren in the near future.” His sons looked at him incredulously and Loki let go of some of the hope he would be a grandparent before he reached 6000 years.

Not long after that, Loki and Jor took on their disguises once more and moved on from Asgard, Loki transporting them to Helheim.

 

Hela was obviously expecting their visit. She greeted them as soon as they entered the realm.

“Have you come to tell me you are finally giving me a little sister?” She nearly squealed, her excitement tangible. Jor cowered, having learned long ago that his sister was prone to near-violent physical affection when she was excited. Loki was not lucky enough to escape her embrace and struggled to break himself free.

“It’s wonderful to see you too Hel, please let me go so we can talk.” He gave a strained smile and she released him almost immediately though she kept her hands on his shoulders. Her smile did not fall even the slightest bit as she waited for him to speak.

“I am indeed with child, though I do not know yet whether you will have a brother or sister. It is still too early to tell.” As he spoke, Hela moved one of her hands from his shoulder and laid it wide across his stomach as if she could feel the child there already. She knelt, and spoke directly to his abdomen:

“This family has too many men. Be good to your big sister and be a little sister for me will you? I would _so_ love to have another girl around.” Hela stood and embraced Loki again, more gently this time and whispered in his ear as she did so,

“But you know, of course, I will love her even if she turns out to be yet another little brother.” She pulled away from Loki and turned to Jor, arms wide.

“Jor! How nice of you to come with Mother! It has been too long since I last saw you.” She pulled Jor into a strangling hug.

“You know,” Jor said when she finally released him and he was able to speak again, “I sometimes wonder if you would be better suited as a constrictor rather than this form you take now.” The two siblings laughed together and Hela playfully stuck her tongue out at him, having magicked it to be a serpent’s tongue temporarily.

Loki watched them, amused. He had always been thankful for how well his children got along. They did not have many opportunities to make friends with others and they often needed each other’s company to keep themselves entertained when they were younger.

“Will you both stay for dinner?” Asked Hela, obviously eager to spend more time with them.

“Of course, darling.” Loki replied. He had allowed himself a few days, after all, to travel.

With that, Hela led them to her mansion at the center of the realm. In appearance it seemed to have grown out of the ground, it’s foundations taking on the look of gnarled roots. The building was strong but weathered; it was showing its age. Inside was much prettier. The ceilings were tall and the rooms were lit with beautiful glass chandeliers. The walls were bright and obviously painted by hand. The furniture in the house was nearly all white and thick rugs covered many of the floors.

Hela led them to the kitchen, where they were immediately greeted by the smell of a wonderful meal.

“I hope roast beef is alright, I started it this morning when I sensed that you were coming.”

“It smells wonderful and I’m sure it will taste just as good.” Loki laid a hand on her shoulder as he spoke, reassuring her that her choice of meal was a good one.

 

They ate heartily, finishing off every bit of the meat that Hela had prepared. She had inherited Loki’s skill in the kitchen it would seem. When they had finished, they chatted companionably for quite some time. They spoke for hours and when they finally got up from the table they realized it was much later than they had thought. Hela offered them rooms for the night and they agreed they would stay and continue their journey the next day.


	8. Chapter 8

To find Fenrir, they returned to Asgard where he lived at the head of the river Van. Fenrir was allowed to wander an area many acres in size but even so he was the most confined of Loki’s children, a fact that Loki deeply hated. Fenrir was lying at the side of the great spring that fed the river when they arrived. He sat up almost immediately, nose in the air, when Loki and Jor appeared at the edge of the woods.

“Mother! And Jor!” Fenrir shouted with glee as he bounded up to them, his tongue hanging from his open mouth. Loki opened his arms and Fenrir snuggled into him.

“You smell different.” Fenrir mumbled as he pressed his head to Loki’s chest.

“Yes, Sleipnir said the same when we visited him. Can you tell the cause?” Loki asked, knowing his younger son’s sense of smell far surpassed that of his equine brother. Fenrir concentrated and sniffed over Loki carefully, pausing when he reached Loki’s midsection.

“The change is coming from here,” Fenrir said, nudging him, “But I am not sure-“ He paused, eyes widening, “Are you pregnant?”

“Yes, you’ve got it.” Loki smiled, scratching Fenrir’s ears.

“When…?” Fenrir started.

“I am 13 weeks along in midgardian terms, and the child will be here in approximately 7 months. You will be a big brother before winter.” Loki answered; realizing the line of thought his son was following. Fenrir nodded, and snuggled against Loki once more. Fenrir had always been the most physically affectionate of Loki’s children and Loki indulged him, enjoying it himself. They returned to the spring and sat, Fenrir placing his head in Loki’s lap and laying out beside him. Jor coiled between his brother’s legs, his head on Fenrir’s shoulder.

“I wasn’t sure you would ever give us another sibling after what happened to Narfi.” Fenrir said quietly, eyes looking up at Loki with sorrow. He had always been very sensitive to other’s emotions and Loki could feel the soothing healing magic that oozed from his words, softening Loki’s sadness. How it had become prophesized that the affectionate hound with a rare talent for healing magic would swallow the sun and help to destroy Asgard, Loki did not know.

“I was not sure of it myself.” Loki responded, running his hand down Fenrir’s back soothingly. “This child I carry now…I had not planned for it. It is only now that I recognized it that I realize how much I longed for another child. Narfi can not be replaced but that does not mean I should give up on other children.”

“Will you have more after this one then?” Jor asked.

“I don’t know. Perhaps, if I find another I can love as I did Angrboda or Sigyn.” They were silent for some time after than, watching the ripples of the water as the spring bubbled.

“I must go speak with Vali now.” Loki said, standing. “Jor, I’m sorry but it may be best if I speak with him alone. You know how fragile he is.” Jor nodded in response, his eyes were sad but understanding.

“I will stay with Fenrir a bit longer then, if you do not mind returning for me.”

“I will return by nightfall.” Loki nodded.

“Before you leave Mother, will you help me to assume a form similar to Fen’s? I can not keep up with him in this one.” Loki smiled softly at his son. Jor had always had trouble shifting his form, and it had taken him many years to master assuming a human form. Any form that was not a serpent was nearly impossible for him.

“Of course dear.” Loki responded, running his hand along Jor’s body. He worked the spell efficiently, and soon a gray canine stood where the snake had been. He stood slightly taller than Fenrir but otherwise shared very similar features to his mottled brown brother.

Loki watched the two as they walked off into the woods before transporting himself near Vali’s cave.

 

Loki approached cautiously; unsure what state of mind his youngest would be in that day. Loki nearly jumped when he heard vicious growling behind him. He turned to face the sound. The wolf’s snow-white fur was caked with mud and it appeared he had multiple wounds, at least one of which was fresh as Loki could see the blood oozing from it. Loki knelt and held a hand to him.

“Vali,” He started, “Do not be afraid, it is me, your father.” He waited, watching the wolf closely in case he needed to defend himself. The wolf’s teeth were still bared but his hackles began to lie flat along his back.

“Father?” The wolf spoke, its voice graveled. It began to relax but was obviously still on edge.

“Yes, Vali.” Loki looked over his son with concern, “You are hurt, let me heal you.” Loki reached out slowly, and though Vali remained tense he allowed Loki to place his hand on him. Loki healed his wounds and then pulled away again.

“Who hurt you, my son?” Loki asked. Vali’s only reply was to look at him with haunted eyes and Loki decided that question was better left to another day.

“I have come to tell you some wonderful news, would you like to hear it?” Loki asked, watching his son’s face to try and discern his emotions, as he knew Vali spoke only a few words even on his good days. When the wolf turned to look him in the eye, Loki spoke again.

“I am with child, you will have a younger sibling.” Loki said gently.

“Child?” The wolf asked, his eyes showing a guarded curiosity.

“Yes, Vali. I am having another child.” Loki gave his son a reassuring smile, knowing he had understood. He placed a hand on his stomach.

“The child lives in here right now, but in a few months time it will live on its own.” Vali approached him slowly and Loki allowed it, knowing his son was not the violent creature they had turned him into. Vali pushed his nose into Loki’s stomach and breathed deeply.

“Smells like baby. Baby sister?” Vali seemed to smile with his eyes as he looked up at Loki. It was the first time Loki had seen anything to indicate that the wolf was still capable of feeling happiness and his heart soared.

“Yes, baby sister.” Loki smiled. He may not have been sure of the child’s gender but Vali seemed so happy about it that Loki could not take that hope from him. And perhaps, he thought, Vali could smell something Loki couldn’t sense. Loki reached out to scratch him, watching his body language closely to ensure Vali was not becoming upset with his movements. He had to be careful; the wrong body language could lead to his son’s wolf instincts taking over and causing him to react violently. As it was, Loki was able to scratch the wolf behind the ears and under the jaw.

Loki let his eyes wander over his son, his face dark. Vali had gained better mental control in the years since his brother died but Loki feared he would never again take an Aesir form. Loki had tried to change him back once, when it first happened, but it quickly became evident that his young son’s mind had been turned too feral by his trauma to remain in his Aesir form happily. Loki had begrudgingly accepted the fact and returned his son to his wolf form, promising to do all he could to keep him happy. On his better days, Loki wondered if he should try again but always -always- Vali regressed to his feral ways, barely able to speak intelligibly.

“Need food.” Vali said suddenly, and turned quickly to leave the cave. He bounded away, nose in the air. Loki laughed despite himself and moved to lean against the wall of the cave. He waited.

Vali returned a couple hours later, a large hare in his jaws. He dropped it near Loki and then moved to him, licking under his chin. Loki recognized the gesture as one of submission and scratched behind Vali’s ears again.

“Eat first.” Vali said, looking between Loki and the hare. Loki moved to the kill and pulled one of his knives from his sleeve, skinning the hare in just a few swift movements. He took a portion of the meat and cast a spell to create a fire to cook it with. Vali watched him as he worked and Loki made cooing sounds to let him know it was ok for him to eat now. Vali moved in and eagerly chowed down on the remaining half of the hare. The two ate in silence. When they had finished, Loki stood.

“I need to leave now, my son. I am sorry I can not stay longer.” He said, looking down at his son with sad eyes.

“Visit again?” Vali said, “Bring baby sister?” Vali’s mouth hung open and his tongue hung down, his excitement obvious.

“Yes, of course.” Loki smiled brightly. It was not often that Vali expressed a notion of future events, and even less often that he appeared to look forward to them. Maybe the promise of a new sibling was helping him to return to his Aesir mind, just maybe.

 

Loki returned to Fenrir’s spring to find that both Jor and Fenrir were asleep on the shores. It would seem the two had worn each other out with their play that day. Loki laid a gentle hand on each of them and shook them both awake. They looked up at him, the glaze of sleep still over eyes.

“Hmmm, Mother? How was Vali?” Jor spoke first, rolling so that he lay upright.

“Better than usual. He is very excited.” Loki answered, his joy seeping into his words.

“That’s wonderful!” Fenrir exclaimed. He knew any amount of progress with Vali was promising and worth celebrating. 

“Yes, it is,” Loki smiled, “Jor, I’m afraid we need to be getting back to Midgard. The others will be wondering what I am up to.”

 


	9. Chapter 9

When Loki returned to the tower, having left Jor in the river, he expected to be questioned immediately about where he had been. He was still an ex-villain and it was rare that he left the tower without someone asking what he had been up to, with barely-hidden suspicion in their voice. This time he had been gone for more than a day and he was shocked when none of them found him as soon as he entered the tower.

Loki, instead, found them. They were in the common room watching a movie, and all seemed to be interested in it because it took a few moments before anyone noticed him.

“Hey Loki,” Steve said casually, “How’re your kids?” Loki blinked, shocked that they had apparently believed him (well, Jarvis) when he said he was visiting family. He was also shocked to have someone genuinely ask him about the welfare of his children.

“As well as they ever have been,” Loki answered, “And Vali was much more responsive than usual.” He smiled softly, remembering the excitement his youngest had shown.

Loki moved to sit in his usual place on the floor but Natasha patted the space next to her, inviting him to sit there. He sat next to her, nodding his thanks. She leaned over when he sat down and whispered,

“You know, before long it will be hard for you to get up off the floor. Best get used to sitting on the couch from now on.” She winked at him as she pulled away. He sighed, she was likely right but it didn’t make Loki any happier about it.

 

At 16 weeks, Loki should probably not have been participating in the Avenger’s battles. Natasha and Bruce had tried to convince him not to, but he refused to sit out since he had no good reason to not fight when he had yet to tell the others of his condition. He had taken every measure to make sure his child was safe, of course. He placed spells to ward his child against every known projectile, and had even placed one to protect specifically against mistletoe. No plant was too innocent for him to overlook in regards to his child’s wellbeing.

What Loki’s spells did not do was allow him to fight the same way he always had. He could feel the near-imperceptible ways his child had already begun to change his center of balance and he found himself moving awkwardly as he tried to compensate. He was still a skilled fighter, of course, and it would have taken a keen eye to notice that his balance was upset but Loki could not help becoming frustrated with it. At one point, he gave up fighting gracefully and put all his energy into a 360-degree burst of energy that knocked all of his opponents out immediately. A poor choice it would seem, as Loki almost immediately found himself out of breath. He knelt, breathing deeply as he tried to regain it.

“Alright Loki?” Natasha asked. She had insisted on staying near him when he refused to sit out, and so arrived at his side almost as soon as he knelt to the floor.

“Fine. Just running out of breath quicker than usual. I should not have done that spell, I had been managing fine with the smaller ones.” He replied. She frowned at him and then spoke into the comms system they all wore.

“I’m taking Loki out, he’s not in a condition to fight today.” She pulled him up and put his arm around her shoulder. He tried to protest but she silenced him with a glare and he allowed her to lead him away from the battle.

“Tony, can you send us a lift?” There was no response but one of Tony’s many bots soon landed in front of them.

“Take him to the tower,” Nat commanded, “Gently.” The bot nodded and took Loki in its arms, much to Loki’s disdain.

“You’re telling them all tonight. No more joining battles just because you haven’t told them yet.” Nat shouted as the bot flew away with Loki.

 

Back at the tower, Loki contemplated how to tell them all he was pregnant. He hadn’t given it much thought really, preferring to ignore the fact that he would have to reveal it eventually. He paced back and forth. Each time he thought of a possible way to reveal the news he decided against it, believing there was a way for the others to ridicule him for it.

Tony crashing through the window did not help his thought process.

“Dammit! When will you villains learn that these windows are not cheap to replace?”

“Perhaps if you shouted louder so the entirety of New York heard you.” Loki grumbled, rubbing his temples.

“Sorry. Didn’t exactly choose to be thrown through a window, again, though. Blame the other guy.” With that, Tony left again, his weapons ready.

Loki lay on the couch, still unsure what to say later. Perhaps a nap would clear his mind so he could think.

 

He woke to the Avengers loudly entering, someone whispering (too loudly): “Wait, he’s asleep”, and all of them trying (failing) to be quiet. Loki kept his eyes closed stubbornly, hoping they would go away.

“How’re we supposed to have dinner if he’s in here sleeping?” They were all terrible at whispering.

“We could just go out to eat, let him have some peace.” Still too loud.

“Is he okay?” Quieter, still too loud. Loki rolled to lie on his back and sighed.

“ _He_ woke up the moment you lumbering fools walked in and is just fine, thank you.” Loki grumbled, not bothering to sit up or even raise his head. He could almost feel their guilty looks without even seeing them.

“Hey Loki… feeling any better? Nat sounded pretty worried about you when she told us she was taking you out. Sorry we woke you up.” It was Steve that spoke, always the leader.

“She wasn’t worried, she was pissed that-,” Loki stopped himself, “Where is she anyway?” Steve gave him a look that meant he noticed Loki’s change of subject.

“Grocery shopping, it’s her turn to cook.” Clint answered, he was giving Loki a strange look but Loki couldn’t discern the archer’s thoughts.

“And she better hurry up because I’m starving.” Said Tony, stepping out of his suit.

Loki stayed on the couch as they scattered to shower and change into more comfortable clothing, all of them but Steve anyway.

“What happened to you out there? Why did Nat pull you?” Steve asked, and Loki could tell by his tone of voice he wouldn’t accept Loki ignoring him.

“I got out of breath and she overreacted.” Loki replied, turning so he was facing into the back of the couch rather than at the captain.

“Nat doesn’t overreact. And getting out of breath typically doesn’t lead to taking uncharacteristic naps in the common room.” Steve crossed his arms, waiting for the truth. Loki sighed.

“I’m going to tell everyone what’s going on later tonight. It’s nothing to worry about.” Steve regarded Loki for a moment before nodding and leaving to take his own shower.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is sex in this chapter (near the end).

When they finished dinner (delicious homemade _pelmeni_ – Russian dumplings, Nat had explained), Loki had to face the fact that he needed to tell everyone. If he didn’t tell them now there was a good chance he would be showing before he brought himself to tell them. Loki was saved from having to awkwardly get everyone’s attention when Steve spoke up.

“Loki, you promised you would be sharing with everyone what’s going on with you?”

“Yeah, what’s the deal with you getting sick nearly everyday for the last few weeks? And then Nat pulls you out today? What the hell is going on with you?” Tony asked, subtle as always.

“Loki, you’ve been sick and didn’t tell us?” Steve looked confused, he had clearly not been in charge of surveillance the last couple weeks.

“I haven’t been _sick._ ” Loki ground his teeth, his arms crossed.

“Uh. Pretty sure throwing up everyday for more than 2 weeks in a row is practically the definition of sick.” Tony pointed out. Loki groaned and put his head in his hands. They were all idiots.

“Will you all be quiet and let him speak? He’s _trying_ to tell you something.” Nat practically growled at the others and placed a hand on Loki’s shoulder reassuringly. Loki nodded his thanks at Nat and they all sat in silence for a few moments.

“Well Loki?” Natasha asked gently, “I know it’s hard to say it out loud but they will find out eventually…”

“You think I don’t realize that?” Loki sighed and looked around the table. He reminded himself that these were people who could trust despite their shaky relationships. They all looked at him expectantly. Loki took a deep breath.

“It would seem I am with child.” Loki announced, watching their faces for their reactions. Bruce and Nat watched the others as well.

“Makes sense.” Clint said and Loki gave him a confused look. “Your symptoms – the nausea, the running out of breath, the taking a nap when that is usually the last thing you would do – they’re the same ones my wife has when she’s pregnant.” Loki’s eyes widened in understanding – that must have been the reason for Clint’s odd expression earlier.

“Huh.” Was all Tony said, unusually short on words.

“That’s…That’s great news Loki. Congratulations.” Steve hid it well, but Loki could sense the unspoken question in the captain’s words: _Is it mine?_ Loki regarded him coolly; they would need to talk privately later.

“How far along _are_ you? I mean, you’re not showing yet.” Tony asked.

“16 weeks. And, no, not yet but I will be soon.” Loki answered, unconsciously placing a hand over his abdomen where he could feel the swell that would soon become a bump. Loki avoided Steve’s eyes but he could see the captain in the corner of his eye and saw him pale before quickly hiding it. He must have realized that the time lined up almost perfectly.

“Banner? No comment?” Tony asked, bewildered at how silent the doctor had been.

“I’ve known for a while. Loki asked me to help ensure the child was healthy.” Banner said evenly.

“And before any of you ask, I’ve known for a while too which is why I pulled him out today as soon as it started to effect him.” Nat gave Loki a pointed look as she spoke.

“You probably shouldn’t have been out there at all, Loki.” Steve said, raising an eyebrow.

“Exactly what I told him.” Nat said, crossing her arms. Loki rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything in response. He was ready to be done with this conversation.

 

A couple hours later, Loki found himself in his room. They had all gone off to their usual evening activities once they left the table. Loki felt like hiding, feeling as if the others’ eyes were constantly on him now, so he left quickly and closed himself in his room. He found the book he had been in the middle of and laid on his bed, planning to spend the rest of the night there.

It wasn’t long before there was a knock on his door. Loki sighed. He was almost certain he knew who it was and when he opened the door his suspicions were confirmed.

“Can we talk Loki?” Steve asked, looking nervous. Loki opened the door further and nodded, inviting the captain in. Steve stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, not quite sure what to do with himself. Loki sat on his bed and watched as Steve worked through his thoughts.

“Can I, uh… I mean. Is it mine?” Steve asked, stumbling over his words. Loki took a deep breath before responding.

“I don’t know.” Loki said, “It’s possible… but you weren’t the only one I took to bed that week.” He watched the captain, unsure what he would think of the confession.

“Oh.” Steve said, furrowing his brow. “Who else?”

“No one you know, and no one I knew for longer than a night.” Loki answered, looking down as he blushed. “Would you wish it to be yours?” Loki asked.

“I…I don’t know. I’ve never thought about having kids. I mean, I thought it would happen eventually, after the war.” He paused, shaking his head. “When I woke up, I gave up on that. I realized I’d always have a battle to fight.”

“And if the child does turn out to be yours?” Loki asked quietly.

“Then I would do my best to deserve a ‘world’s best dad’ coffee mug.” Steve answered without hesitation.

“You would want to acknowledge the child as your own?” Loki asked, sounding bewildered.

“Of course. There would be no sense in not acknowledging it. I would never be ashamed of my own child, planned or not.” He winked at Loki, “Human or not.”

“The child is human in appearance.” Loki replied. “That much I do know.”

“Then I will love my human child.” Steve grinned. “And Loki… If you will have me, whether it is mine genetically or not, I would be happy to be a father to your child. No one should have to raise a child alone if they don’t wish to.” Steve leaned towards Loki as he spoke, looking into his eyes. When Loki nodded his consent, Steve kissed him. It was chaste, a promise rather than an act of passion, and yet Loki felt his lips tingle at the contact.

“Stay with me.” Loki whispered as they pulled apart. Steve smiled and sat beside Loki, placing a hand around his waist as he leaned in to place another kiss on Loki’s neck. Loki hummed in pleasure.

“Happily.” Steve sighed, his breath tickling Loki’s neck and sending shivers down his spine. Loki turned to face Steve and pulled him into a deep kiss, pressing his body into the captain’s. Steve wrapped his arms around Loki and pulled him closer, sliding his tongue into the trickster’s mouth. Loki groaned at the sensation and clawed at Steve’s clothes, eager to get them off. Steve obliged and pulled away from Loki just long enough to pull his shirt off before reclaiming the Trickster’s lips. Loki ran his hands along the captain’s torso, feeling the toned muscles beneath his skin as he moved against Loki.

“Your turn.” Steve said breathlessly, pulling away for a moment. Loki grinned and rid himself of his own shirt before lying down on his back and pulling Steve with him. Steve kissed him all along his arms, his neck, touching Loki everywhere. When Steve began to kiss down his chest, Loki shivered. Steve paused when he reached Loki’s abdomen, speckling it with multiple soft kisses before sitting up and running his hand over Loki’s stomach in wonder.

“Oh Loki. You truly are amazing.” Steve said before leaning forward to kiss Loki on the lips yet again as he ground their hips together. Loki hummed in pleasure.

“Why don’t you hurry up and fuck me then?” Loki groaned, grabbing at Steve’s waist. Steve stopped him and stood up to remove his pants completely before pulling off Loki’s as well. Steve knelt on the floor at the end of the bed and pulled Loki to him. Without warning, he took Loki entirely in his mouth and Loki bucked his hips at the sudden warmth and sensation. Steve bobbed his head, moving up and down Loki’s length. Loki squirmed but the captain held his hips tightly and all Loki could do was gasp out his pleasure.

“Steve!” He exclaimed, biting his lip as he neared his climax. Steve did not slow down and before long Loki was coming down Steve’s throat. When Loki was finished, the captain finally pulled off and gave Loki a messy kiss, the taste of Loki’s come still on his tongue. He flipped Loki over.

“My turn.” He whispered into Loki’s ear, pressing a finger against Loki’s hole. Loki gasped in anticipation.

“Lube?” Steve asked and Loki pointed shakily, still riding the high Steve had given him. Steve reached over and removed the lube from the drawer Loki had pointed to. He coated his fingers before turning back to Loki. He pressed a finger into the trickster’s hole, moving it in and out as he waited for Loki to relax around him. Loki groaned in pleasure at the sensation and rolled his hips, begging for more. Steve added another finger, repeating the motions until he was able to fit four fingers in Loki’s hole. Loki ground his hips against Steve’s hand, yearning to be fucked. Steve pulled out his fingers and turned to get more lube, coating his length in its entirety before lining himself up. He shoved in and Loki gasped, stars dancing at the edge of his vision. Steve paused for a moment, giving Loki time to adjust to his new fullness, before moving slowly in and out. He reveled in the sensation of Loki taking him and watched with wonder as he moved in and out of the trickster with ease.

“Get on with it!” Loki whined, pushing his hips back. Steve grinned and shifted his angle before shoving in hard. Loki moaned in approval as Steve pushed against his prostate in just the right way. Steve set a more rigorous pace and Loki moaned beneath him in approval. As Steve neared his climax he wrapped his arms around Loki and lifted him so that their bodies were flush against each other as Steve supported them both on his knees. He laid his head on Loki’s shoulder and continued his rigorous pace. Steve shuddered and then emptied himself into Loki as Loki moaned in pleasure and came again, coating the sheets in strings of white come. When Steve was finished, he slipped out of Loki and then lay on his side, pulling Loki to lie in front of him. Steve absentmindedly stroked circles over Loki’s abdomen as he held his lover close.

“Had I known you would be so into me carrying your child, I would have done it ages ago.” Loki breathed, enjoying the sensation. Steve blushed as his dick responded with a twitch. It didn’t help that Loki chose that moment to push himself even closer to Steve.

“Careful Silvertongue, you’ll make me want to fuck you again.” Steve whispered into Loki’s ear.

“Mmmm, I would not be opposed.” Loki mused. He nuzzled into Steve’s arm. “Tomorrow though. I need sleep.” Loki closed his eyes, not bothering to move away from him. Steve took it as an invitation to stay the night and settled himself in to stay, closing his eyes just a few minutes later.


	11. Chapter 11

Loki woke to find himself trapped; a fact that startled him until he realized it was Steve’s arms around him and not chains holding him hostage (though one was just as strong as the other). He squirmed, trying to break free, but Steve was not budging. Loki sighed. He lay there for another moment before teleporting himself to other side of the room. He was still naked, he realized. He moved to stand in front of the large mirror and ran a hand down his front. No matter how he turned, he couldn’t see a bump to hint at his condition. He sighed. He knew it was still early, of course.

When he turned back to the bed he found Steve watching him. He wiggled his hips.

“Like the view, captain?” He smiled and returned to bed, lying across Steve with a hand on his chest. He kissed the captain passionately. The two spent the next hour relishing in small touches between them and enjoying being near each other. Loki closed his eyes as he laid his head against Steve’s chest and dozed in and out of consciousness as Steve rubbed his back gently. Loki thought back to the night all those weeks ago when they had first lain together, and about what he would have done differently if he had thought Steve wanted more than just a night together.

 

It had started simply enough. Steve and Loki were the only ones in the tower that night. An unusual occurrence, as Bruce was very rarely away from the tower for more than a few hours at a time.  Steve had contented himself with watching one of the many movies he had missed while he was in the ice. Loki… Loki was horny – somebodyneedstofuckmerightnow horny, for the third night in a row. Loki was pacing in the common room, trying to decide whether to go out in search of a bed partner (he didn’t really want to go out and wasn’t sure he could focus with his mind bent on sex) or to try to satisfy himself with toys (an option that seemed wholly insufficient at the time). Loki’s pacing had finally gotten to the end of Steve’s tolerance (“I can’t watch a movie if you’re going to block the TV 75% of the time”) and Steve stopped him by grabbing his wrist.

The mere touch on his wrist sent tingles up Loki’s arm and he realized just how starved he was as he looked expectantly at Steve.

“Loki, whatever you’re pacing about can you either figure it out or go somewhere else?” Steve had asked, mildly annoyed.

“It’s not as simple as just ‘figuring it out’,” Loki snapped, “I need…” He bit his lip. “I need someone to take to bed.” Steve blushed at Loki’s words, not used to bluntly bringing up sex in casual conversation.

“Uh…alright. But pacing in the common room isn’t going to make anyone want to… go to bed… with you.” Steve stumbled over the words. “I mean, I’m the only one here right now and I-“ Steve stopped himself. Who was he kidding? Loki was extremely attractive and he would not say no to spending a night… or more… in the trickster’s bed. Steve had learned, of course, that it was becoming less taboo for men to sleep together and did not feel as much shame as he once did in feeling attracted to other men.

“Yes Steve?” Loki asked, encouraging the captain to finish his thought as he looked at him expectantly. Loki could feel the tingles on his arm where Steve still held him.

“Well, uh. We are the only ones here. Oh, what the hell. Loki, would you like me to fuck you?” Steve’s voice was shaky but confident and Loki grinned at him before embracing him with a long, slow kiss.

Eventually they had found their way back to Steve’s chambers, frantically tearing at each other’s clothes as they kissed passionately.

They had fucked slowly. Loki was much more sensitive than usual and Steve was showing his lack of recent experience as each of his moves held a measure of uncertainty (a fact Loki may have teased had he not been so lost in his desire). Loki had stayed with the captain all night afterwards and they coupled twice more – gaining pace and surety each time.

When Loki teleported away immediately the next morning, Steve told himself it was because the trickster was not interested in another night. Loki told himself he was leaving so Steve wouldn’t have to tell him he didn’t want another night.

They mostly ignored each other for the next weeks. Neither brought up their night together as both thought the other to not be truly interested. Well, not until Loki announced that he was pregnant and they ended up in bed together again.

 

And were still in bed together. Loki forced himself awake again, having dozed off to the captain’s steady breathing. Steve was watching him with a soft look on his face.

“You know, I wish we could stay here all day,” Steve said, “But I think we ought to get some breakfast.” He smiled at Loki before standing up and gathering his clothes. Loki thought to protest but decided against it and dressed himself as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a short chapter but I needed to stop it here or it would end up having way too much going on to work as a whole.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading/commenting and giving kudos! It really means a lot to me because I honestly didn't expect any attention for this fic.

When Loki and Steve entered the common room together Nat raised an eyebrow in question at Loki, who deliberately ignored her. Clint didn’t seem to notice them or hadn’t thought to say anything. Loki and Steve each took a seat at the table and helped themselves to the cereals and various fruits that were laid out.

“Feeling alright this morning, Loki?” Natasha asked.

“Yes. I think I’ve finally put the nausea behind me.” Loki replied as he dug into his breakfast. They ate mostly in silence, none of them quite awake enough to hold a full conversation.

Well, it was silent until a certain god of thunder decided to return.

“My friends!” He shouted happily, “I am sorry, I should not have stayed away so long. You were in need of me here and yet I did not return simply because of a petty disagreement over the handling of Loki’s children.” They all regarded Thor coldly – Clint included, Loki noticed with some surprise – and did not return his happy greeting.

“What is wrong? Did something happen in my absence?” Thor asked, looking confused. The others at the table all glanced at Loki nervously and Steve shifted so he was slightly between Loki and Thor.

“They are all worried what you may do when you find out I am again with child.” Loki stared down Thor as he spoke, daring him to act.

“Do not jest brother. The form you wear now is Aesir and Aesir men are incapable of carrying children.” Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir, “If this is a trick to garner sympathy then it was poorly thought out.”

“Thor,” Natasha started, giving the god a pointed glare, “Loki truly is pregnant, it is not a trick.” Thor looked bewildered as both Clint and Steve nodded in confirmation.

“The child… who is its sire?” Thor asked.

“I am uncertain,” Loki answered, meeting Thor’s eye steadily, “I did not plan this pregnancy but the child is undoubtedly half-human.”

“Then perhaps there is hope it will not be monstrous and I will not need to cast it away as father did with your other children.” Thor loosened his grip on Mjolnir slightly.

“The child will not be cast away no matter its appearance.” Steve spoke with authority, his words taking on the air of a command. Thor met the captain’s eyes before responding.

“Loki may keep the child so long as it poses no threat to the realms. The same has been true for all of his children.” Thor kept his voice even, ignoring Loki’s scowl.

“If the child is born on earth then neither you nor anyone else in Asgard has authority over what is done with it.” Steve crossed his arms. At this, Thor tensed.

“The child may be half human, but Loki is of Asgard. His children are under the rule of the Allfather no matter their realm of birth.”

“Loki is of Jotunheim and what I said stands. Asgard has no authority over the child.” Steve stood so his eyes were even with Thor’s, “If you or any other Asgardian threatens the child, there will be a fight.”

“Then I hope for your sakes the child is truly human and we do not have to fight against each other where we once fought as friends.” Thor responded evenly. Thor met each of them in the eye – holding Loki’s gaze slightly longer than the rest – before turning to leave the room, wandering in the direction of the practice range. Not much later, Tony entered the room.

“Anyone care to tell me why Thor is currently doing his best to fry the entire army of target bots? Which you should all thank me for thinking to electrically insulate by the way.”

“I told him of my condition. Needless to say, he was not congratulatory.” Loki replied, picking at the last bites of his breakfast.

“Your condition? Oh, right. About that, we need to talk about baby proofing. This tower was not built with children in mind so uh there’s a lot that needs to be done.” With that, Tony grabbed Loki and dragged him away. Loki looked shocked as Tony grabbed him but did not put up too much fuss. The others could hear Tony rambling about accounting for the fact the child would have magic and whether those plastic outlet covers would work well enough for the child of a Norse god.

“Did Tony Stark just bring up baby proofing, voluntarily and with excitement?” Clint asked, raising an eyebrow. Steve and Nat shrugged, there were stranger things that had come up. They gathered their breakfast dishes and returned them to the kitchen.

“Care to spar with me Steve?” Nat asked, “I’ve beat Clint everyday for the last week, I need a change and Loki’s out of commission which leaves you.”

“Sure Nat, but shouldn’t someone go talk to Thor? I doubt the bots will last forever against him.” Steve responded.

“I’ll go. He’s not likely to listen to you after your conversation and I was planning on training in the range today anyway.” Clint shrugged. With that, they all left for their destinations as Clint wondered what to say to Thor.

 

 

Clint walked into the range cautiously. He had hit the “stop” button of course, but that stopped the robots – not the god of thunder. And that god of thunder currently looked pissed that his targets were retreating to their storage areas, though he did stop the literal indoor storm he had created.

“Barton. It is not wise to be near me right now.” Thor scowled.

“Right. Just coming to train, I need to practice with the new arrows Loki made for me. You’re pissed about what Steve said, yeah?” Clint shuffled through his quiver, making sure he had what he wanted for practice. “Look, as much as you might hate it, he’s right. Norse God or whatever you are, Earth has laws about who is in charge where. And you? You’re not a president or a king or even a prime minister down here. Only authority you have is what the rest of us have,” Clint shot an arrow at one of the stationary targets as he spoke, “And that’s not much authority at all really.”

“Barton…” Thor growled in warning, growing irritated with the archer.

“Hey, I’m just stating the facts as they are here on Earth.” Clint shrugged. “Be honest with yourself Thor, do you really think what Asgard did to Loki’s children was justified?”

“Yes, of course. Asgard does not give out unjust punishments.” Thor set his jaw as he spoke, his expression hard.

“And what if the same punishments were given to your children? Personally, I would be pissed if someone did that to my kids. I might even allow myself to be controlled in exchange for an army I may use to free my kids.” Clint gave Thor a pointed look.

“My children are not-“

“Not what? Monsters?” Clint interrupted. “Have you even spent five minutes talking to any of them? Jor at least is very human. Hell, he’s more human than some _humans_ I know. Just because they look different – a lot different – doesn’t make them any less innocent than any other child and it doesn’t mean they should be punished for a parent’s crimes.”

“Their punishments were carried out because they are a threat to all the realms. It is not simply a matter of Loki’s crimes – the prophecies of Ragnarok alone are reason enough to cast his children away.”

“Yeah, whatever. Prophecies don’t tell you much about the truth, they just tell you what could happen. And if our literature is anything to go by, often you cause prophecies to come true by trying to change them. In this instance: Loki’s kids finally get fed up with what’s being done to them and their family and decide to wreak havoc on the world. Just saying.”

“I see.” It was the first near concession Thor had made since the start of their conversation. Clint jumped at the opportunity.

“How about this: You spend a couple hours with them, let’s say a dinner here, and then you can decide how monstrous they really are.”Clint said. _Now hopefully Loki will agree to that._

“I suppose no harm can come from eating a meal with them. Very well.” Thor nodded.

After that the two trained in silence but worked together as they took out the bots. They were still a team, no matter what else was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Awkward Family Dinner! (aka an excuse to get all of Loki's kids together in their human forms and make Thor a tiny bit more sympathetic).


	13. Chapter 13

Loki hadn’t been thrilled about the idea of having his children over for dinner with Thor but had agreed after some convincing and Thor’s promise that his children would be safe in his presence. And so, Clint found himself in the grocery store two weeks later buying every box of macaroni the store had in stock. _Your idea._ Loki had said. _You do the cooking._ Well if he was going to cook, he was going to make it easy so mac and cheese it was.He may only be cooking for 11 people but half of those ‘people’ were Norse legends that could probably eat more than he ate in a week and he did not want to spend hours cooking in order to have enough for everyone.

He was pretty happy with his cart full of macaroni until Nat came up to him from where she had been shopping at the other side of the store.

“Uh Clint, what’s this?” She asked, eyeing the cart.

“Dinner.” He grumbled.

“You mean a side to go along with dinner right?”

“No. This is it.” Nat gave him her ‘you’re an idiot’ look for that and set to work replacing the macaroni with – slightly fewer – boxes of egg noodles. When she had finished she wheeled the cart over to the meat section and selected several pounds of beef from the cooler. She walked around picking up a few other ingredients before Clint finally spoke again.

“So… what are we making exactly?” He asked.

“Beef stroganoff. It’s still easy, but it’s a bit more impressive than macaroni. We _are_ having guests over after all.” She responded. Clint snorted.

“This isn’t exactly going to be a happy-go-lucky dinner where everyone gets along just fine.”

“So all the more need for the food to be good. If they’re eating happily they won’t talk as much and there won’t be as many opportunities for poor choices of words.” She was right, of course.

“Yeah, alright.” Clint conceded and they walked to the check out.

 

Back at the tower a couple hours later, Loki stood in front of the mirror. He had started showing last week (a fact Steve had informed him of as soon as he noticed it) and he was currently trying to decide if he wanted to show off or hide his bump at dinner tonight. He tugged at the shirt he had on – it was neither loose nor tight and showed his bump only when he stretched or moved a certain way. It would have to do because just then Jarvis announced that their first guest had arrived. Loki wasn’t sure what to expect when he went to go greet whoever had arrived. He had of course told his children that they would be expected to take on human or Aesir forms for dinner, but he hadn’t explicitly told them to show up in those forms.

Loki walked in just in time to see Tony opening the door. He couldn’t hold back his laughter as Fenrir entered – still in his furred natural form – and immediately stuck his nose in the billionaires face.

“You smell of metal – is that why they call you ‘Iron Man’?” Fenrir asked.

“Uh.” Tony looked lost, “No that’s not why. I have a suit, made of metal, that’s where the name comes from.” He paused, “I smell like metal?” Loki rolled his eyes and walked over to the two of them.

“You spend days on end in your lab and you’re surprised you smell like the metal you work with?” Loki asked, amused.

“Well _I_ can’t smell it, so yeah a little bit surprised.” Tony said. “You must be Fenrir then.” He looked the canine in the eyes, not quite sure how to greet him since he couldn’t exactly shake his hand.

“Yes, that’s me.” Fenrir responded, shifting into his Aesir form and holding out his hand with a grin. He was tall just as Jor had been, but not quite as thin. He appeared a little younger than his brother, perhaps in his mid-teens, and had curly brown hair that hung just below his chin. Tony shook his hand and smiled graciously, seemingly unfazed by the sudden transformation.

“Why don’t we go up to the common room and you can meet the others?” Loki asked, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder.

Introductions went smoothly, even Thor shook Fenrir’s hand sportingly, without so much as a twitch.

Before long, there was a clatter of hooves on the tower’s balcony and Loki smiled – his eldest son had arrived. Sleipnir was a bit smarter with his entrance and transformed before setting foot inside the building, though not before they had all seen his natural form through the glass wall that separated them from the outside. The avengers all looked amazed by his son’s appearance and Loki regarded them smugly. He knew how impressive Sleipnir was in his stallion form but he never grew tired of others being awed by his son. 

“Sleipnir.” Loki greeted, embracing his son. Sleipnir stood the same height as Loki in his Aesir form and his jet-black hair matched Loki’s exactly in color but was much longer and was braided down the length of his back. Sleipnir held himself with regality, handling himself much more reservedly than Fenrir did. Sleipnir greeted each of the avengers in turn and embraced Thor with familiarity that came from his many seasons serving Odin as a warhorse.

“Fenrir, it is good to see you.” Sleipnir smiled as he held his arms open to his brother – who quickly moved to accept the hug.

Hela arrived next and Loki was relieved to see that she had transformed so that she was fully Aesir and did not sport her ‘half-dead’ appearance. Loki didn’t mind it, of course, but he knew the other avengers would. She hugged him excitedly when she entered, nearly crushing his shoulders.

“Hela,” Loki smiled fondly, whispering to her, “Why not give Thor one of your strangling hugs?” She smiled and winked at him as she pulled away and turned to Thor.

“Uncle! It is so good to finally meet you!” Hela grabbed Thor before he could protest and gave him a hug. She must not have restrained herself because after a few moments Thor began to look very uncomfortable and very red. When she finally released him, he took a barely hidden gasping breath.

“It is good to meet you too, Hela.” Thor smiled, his smile seeming more genuine than that he had given Fenrir.

Jormungand arrived last, not long after Hela. He greeted each of the avengers excitedly, happy to see them again. He greeted Thor in the same way, keeping his voice light though Loki could see the nervous air behind his son’s eyes.

They spent some time chatting, all of them exchanging stories of their strange lives and the avengers’ many battles. It was going fairly well all things considered. It felt like very little time had passed when Clint and Natasha announced that dinner was ready and they all took their places at the dining table.

“I have news for all of you.” Loki announced once they had sat down. “I know the gender of my child.” He smiled at Hela, “I am having a girl.” Hela squealed in delight at the words and jumped up to embrace Loki. The others gave him more controlled congratulations and each of his sons rolled their eyes – obviously hoping their new sister would be more laid back than Hela.

They all dug in to their dinner after Loki’s announcement. They must have been pleased with the meal because they all ate eagerly. The conversations around the table ranged from Midgardian sciences (which Jor seemed to be taking particular interest in), to the discussion of various spells (Hela, Loki, and Fenrir spoke as Natasha listened in and asked questions occasionally) and Sleipnir, Thor, Steve, and Clint discussed various fighting techniques and when stealth outweighed strength. The chatter remained steady throughout the meal and eventually culminated in all of them taking turns to tell about their past, the happy stories from their lives and the achievements they had made.

“Loki… where is Vali?” Thor asked cautiously during a lull in the conversation. Everyone at the table sucked in a breath as they looked to Loki, wondering how he would respond. They had all agreed that it was not wise to bring Vali, but Thor was not aware of that.

“His mind would not allow him to enjoy our company, I’m afraid. He does not take kindly to strangers and particularly not to strangers in crowds.” Loki answered, keeping his voice steady as he held back his sadness. Sleipnir, noticing his mother’s pain, spoke up.

“Mother, do you remember the mare I told you about when you came to visit?” Sleipnir asked, his tone lighthearted.

“Yes, what about her?” Loki responded, shaking off his sadness.

“I have finally convinced her to come home with me. You will have to visit again soon so that you may meet her.” Sleipnir smiled, he knew Loki would be happy with the news.

“That’s wonderful! I shall visit soon then.” Loki smiled proudly at his son

What is her name? I don’t believe you mentioned it before.”

“Sylvi, a beautiful name isn’t it?” Sleipnir responded, happy that he had managed to take Loki’s mind off of Vali.

The conversations at the table resumed their steady pace and before long everyone had cleaned their plates.

“That was wonderful. Now what are we having for dessert?” Fenrir asked with a smirk. Loki narrowed his eyes at his son; he knew a mischievous remark when he heard one.

“Uh...” Clint said, looking to Natasha for help. When she shook her head and frowned at him he knew he was on his own. “I didn’t exactly –“

“Oh Fenrir I’m so glad you asked!” Hela interrupted with a smile that was too bright to be innocent, even with her bubbly nature. “I was wondering when to tell everyone that I brought pies!” She waved her hands and 2 freshly baked pies appeared in front of her.

“They’re apple – made with Idunn’s freshest harvest! Perfect for keeping wrinkles away.” Hela grinned at the avengers as she spoke. Fenrir looked smug. Loki laughed. Thor looked horrified.

“You didn’t –“ Thor started.

“Why not?” Hela smirked. This was exactly the reaction she had wanted, though she knew the meaning of it passed over the mortals’ heads. She shook her head after soaking in Thor’s horror for another moment.

“Of course not. These were made with regular apples – no immortality in these pies.” She shrugged, “But they still taste magical.” She finished with a wink.

Loki retrieved the necessary dishes from the kitchen and helped Hela to serve her pies. The avengers ate happily, all impressed with Hela’s dessert and said as much to her. Before long they had cleaned their plates once again. They all pitched in to clean up and before long it was time for goodbyes. Loki hugged each of his children and made them promise to visit again.

 

When the tower was quiet, Thor approached Loki.

“Your children are quite mature, Loki. I am impressed by them.” Thor said slowly.

“You mean you do not find them to be the monsters you were told they were.” Loki spat.

“You are correct.” Thor sighed, “I am sorry for what Odin has done to them, and to you, with their punishments. I see now they were ill-deserved.” Loki met Thor’s eyes, trying to discern the sincerity of the words.

“Thank you.” Loki responded. He was not yet ready to forgive Thor for his involvement in the events that punished his children but he recognized the blonde’s sincerity. Perhaps forgiveness would come with time.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me longer than usual to update! We had an emergency with one of our horses that ended with us having to put him down so I wasn't in the mood to write for a few days. Due to that, I apologize if this chapter seems a bit disjointed since I had started it before all that happened and obviously came back to it in a very different mindset.

Loki woke a few days later to Steve trailing his fingers over his stomach and whispering into his bump. The sensation was pleasant and Loki watched Steve for a few moments. He could only make out a few words Steve was saying, but it was obvious he was talking to the child about all he would do for her and how he looked forward to seeing her.

“You talk to her like she’s your own.” Loki commented quietly. Steve looked up in surprise at Loki’s voice; obviously just now noticing the trickster was awake.

“Of course, didn’t I tell you I would be a father to her?” Steve smiled.

“Well, yes, but what if she isn’t yours genetically? Won’t that make you feel a little differently about her?” Loki hid the worry in his voice.

“Loki, _I don’t care_. I won’t treat her any different, no matter what.” Steve said with conviction.

“So you don’t want me to get a DNA test done? Bruce offered-“

“Loki, it truly does not matter to me what genetics she has. I don’t need genetics to tell me if I’m her father or not – I will be, in every way that is important.” Steve moved so he could kiss Loki’s cheek. “Of course, if you want to know you can have Bruce do the test. I won’t stop you from finding out.” Loki turned to meet Steve’s eyes.

“No, I don’t think I will. Like you said, you’re her father.” Loki smiled and gave Steve a quick kiss. “You know, I’m going for a check up with Bruce later – why don’t you come with me?”

“I would love to, Loki.” Steve smiled.

 

They met Bruce in his lab just after lunch. The doctor, unshakeable as always, did not seem surprised that Steve had tagged along.

“How are you feeling today Loki?” Bruce asked as he fiddled with his equipment.

“Clumsy.” Loki laughed. “She’s starting to make her weight known.”

“Yes well, that’s to be expected at this point.” Bruce chuckled. He held up a small cup. “Uh, Loki, would you mind?” He asked vaguely, handing the cup to Loki.

“Ah, yes. I’ll be back in a moment.” With that Loki left for the bathroom, leaving Steve with Bruce in the lab. Steve shifted, not quite sure what to do with himself.

“Fair warning, the tests we’re doing today aren’t very interesting. If you had come with Loki last week you would have been able to see the ultrasound, today it’s just the little things.” Bruce said.

“Loki didn’t invite me last week.” Steve laughed good-naturedly. “And I don’t mind, I’m just happy he wanted to include me.”

Loki returned then and Bruce set to work on doing the other check ups. He measured Loki’s waist, explaining that now that Loki was showing it would be an easy way to keep track of the baby’s growth. He also checked Loki’s heartbeat and then the baby’s. It was while he was checking the baby’s heartbeat that Steve noticed a look of concern cross Bruce’s face before quickly being hidden. Steve glanced at Loki, hoping he hadn’t noticed.

“Loki, there’s probably no reason to be concerned – in the vast majority of cases this is nothing to be worried about and will not effect her at all – but it would seem your daughter has a slight heart murmur.” Bruce said evenly as handed the stethoscope to Loki to let him hear. Loki paled when he heard the off-beat rhythm.

“And in the cases where it is something to be concerned about?” Loki forced himself to remain calm.

“That will depend on what exactly is causing the murmur. If it is caused by an abnormality in her heart it may mean she can not do much strenuous activity but that she will otherwise be able to live normally.” Bruce sighed. “In the most severe cases it may mean she requires an intense surgery just after birth to even survive.”

Loki sat in stunned silence, unable to find words to respond. He wrapped his arms around his midsection, wishing he could hold his daughter in his arms and use his magic to cure whatever it was that ailed her.

“Loki, if we can figure out who her father is,” Bruce glanced at Steve, “who her genetic father is, we can rule out genetic heart diseases and abnormalities. If there isn’t a genetic link it is much more likely she is one of the cases where a murmur is benign.” Loki looked up at the doctor with clouded eyes. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then looked at Steve and closed his mouth without saying a word.

“Let’s do the test.” Steve spoke up. He was eager to rule out genetic defects if it was possible to do so. Loki nodded in silent agreement to Steve’s words and Bruce moved to gather the syringes he would need for the blood samples. Loki remained expressionless as Bruce drew his blood. The trickster looked as if he might fall apart at any moment. Bruce turned to Steve next.

“It’s my understanding you are one of the possible fathers?” Bruce asked nonchalantly.

“Yes.” Steve nodded and held out his arm for Bruce to take a blood sample, keeping his eyes on Loki.

“Bruce, can I talk with you alone for a moment?” He asked when Bruce had finished drawing his blood. Loki looked at Steve with confusion but Steve shook his head slightly, he didn’t want to worry Loki with what he wanted to talk to Bruce about. Bruce led Steve out to the hall, leaving Loki where he was.

“You did some work trying to recreate the super soldier serum… do you know how much it effected me, genetically?” Steve asked when they were outside the lab, his brow creased in worry.

“I – uh – I’m not entirely sure. It wasn’t specifically designed to alter genetics, just to optimize strength, healing, and reflexes.” Bruce answered, not following Steve’s train of thought.

“Before I was – before they injected me, I used to have heart trouble. I’d had it since I was born.” Steve said, looking back towards the lab.

“What sort of heart trouble?” Bruce asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Aortic Stenosis. I don’t remember all the details, but it made my heart have to work a lot harder and it was one of the reasons I couldn’t do as much physically.” Steve sighed, “If she’s mine, could she have inherited that from me?”

“It’s possible, yes.” We should be able to get the results of the test by next week. If she’s yours, well, we’ll go from there.” Bruce said and the two returned to the lab where Loki was waiting for them.

“Well Loki,” Bruce started, addressing the still pale trickster, “We should know by next week if Steve is your daughter’s father.” Bruce left out the fact that Steve could possibly not be her father. He gave Loki a reassuring smile.

“I will let you know as soon as I get the results. Once we know her biological father we can start to eliminate the possible causes of her murmur.”

With that, Steve led Loki out of Bruce’s lab. The trickster said nothing as they returned to Steve’s room (which had turned into ‘their’ room over the past few weeks). Loki sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around himself. He didn’t move when Steve sat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Loki, say something. You haven’t spoken since Bruce first told you what was going on.” Steve said gently. Loki turned to him, his eyes dark.

“Whatever else they were, my children have always been healthy. I have no experience with sickly children” Loki’s blinked, his eyes watering, “I don’t know how to help her.”

“You don’t have to know how, though. Bruce and I, we’re here to help.” Steve pulling Loki closer to him, “Don’t forget, I _was_ a sickly child once. I know how to deal with it.”

“Oh.” Loki said from where his head was now against Steve’s chest. “Your heart sounds like hers.”

“Huh?” Steve asked, slightly confused. He thought he had left behind his uneven heartbeat when Dr. Erskine gave him the serum, but perhaps not.

“It’s the same tempo.” Loki said. “Maybe she is yours after all. You don’t have any heart problems, but your heart sounds the same as hers. Perhaps she’ll be like you.” Loki sounded tired as he spoke, as if he were just barely holding on to hope for his daughter to be healthy.

“Maybe…” Steve said, “Loki, you should know something. Before the serum, I had heart problems. My heart… it didn’t work exactly right. I couldn’t do as much as others when it came to physical activities. I worked through it, but I couldn’t push myself too hard. I had to be careful.”

“Hmm.” Was Loki’s only response as he pulled away from Steve and laid down, his face clouded.

“Loki… even if she’s like me, like I was before, we’ll do everything we can to keep it from effecting what she’s able to do. We’ll get Tony to bring in all of the best doctors, whatever we need to keep her healthy.” Steve said reassuringly.

“Thank you.” Loki replied. “But I hope she is like you are now, not like you were before.” Steve laughed.

“Yes, I hope so too. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; we still don’t know for sure that she is _mine_. If she’s not… her murmur could have a completely different cause.”

“Yes…” Loki said quietly before closing his eyes and dozing off. Worrying about his daughter had worn him out, it would seem. Steve watched the trickster for a moment before quietly leaving the room. Steve would need to tell Loki about his other previous health problems at some point, just in case they became relevant, but that could wait.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the, again, long wait for a new chapter. Big thank you to Kio-Neko for being my wall to bounce ideas off of and for helping me come up with a few details!
> 
> Enjoy!

Loki knew the moment that his daughter began to gain control over her magic. It started off with a distinctive surge of energy that he could feel coming from her, and though it had no direction or intended effect Loki could feel the power behind it. She slowly gained more precision and within a few days her spells had obvious intents behind them. Unfortunately for Loki the only thing she had to direct her magic at was his body. Currently, that meant he was subjected to her first attempts at various types of magic, which was why Loki found himself staring in the mirror and desperately trying to undo his daughter’s spell.

She had somehow cast a spell that caused him to assume a few feline features, most likely trying to imitate the magic he had used when he tried to take on the form of a cat in Stark’s lab. It had worked, at least from her perspective. From Loki’s perspective it was frustratingly unfamiliar to the point that he could not figure out a way to undo it. No matter what he tried, the jet-black ears and tail his daughter had given him would not go away. He growled under his breath, trying to think of some other approach. When he caught sight of the tail twitching angrily in the mirror, he grumbled.

“Will you please stop?” He asked aloud, mentally directing it towards his daughter as he brought his hands to his head and tried to hide the ears.  

“Stop what?” Steve asked as he entered the bathroom. He paused when he saw Loki, a look of confusion crossing his face.

“I thought you couldn’t shape-shift while you’re pregnant?”

“I can’t.” Loki said bitterly. He gestured to his stomach, “She’s starting to figure out her magic, this is her spell. And I can’t seem to undo it.” He could feel the tail twitching behind him. 

“You’ve been practicing magic for over 5000 years but you can’t figure out how to get rid of some cat ears?” Steve smirked as he spoke, amused by the trickster’s dilemma.

“Every sorcerer’s magic is different.” Loki growled, “And hers at the moment is based purely on feeling, there isn’t any structure behind it which is why it’s so difficult to undo.”

“Well… all things considered, this isn’t the worst thing she could have done to you.” Steve reached out to scratch at the cat ears and Loki glared at him. “Tony won’t be happy, but he can take Claritin for a few days if he needs to.” Steve laughed and Loki grinned, imagining Stark’s dismay at finding out that Loki was temporarily-permanently part cat.

“So, uh, when she’s born, do I need to watch out for spells she might cast on me?” Steve sounded genuinely concerned and Loki raised an eyebrow, amused.

“No sorcerer is born knowing dangerous spells, we only learn them when we have to.” Loki shrugged, “The worst she could do to you would be something like… this.” Loki waved his fingers at Steve, causing him to grow a tail and animal ears much like Loki’s own, though Steve’s were canine with long golden hair. Steve looked down at himself, confused, and then into the mirror. When he caught sight of his tail he craned his neck trying to get a better look at it, which resulted in him turning in a circle chasing it. Loki tried to hold back his laughter but failed as Steve continued to turn in a circle for a moment before realizing what he was doing and stopping himself, blushing deep red.

“If she’s just like her father, I’m in for a long few years ahead of me.” Steve laughed.

“Mother, technically.” Loki corrected, “And won’t you be lucky if she is?” Loki smirked.

“I suppose I will be.” Steve grinned, “So, uh, how long are you going to make me keep the tail?”

“At least a day, or perhaps I’ll make you keep it until my daughter ordains to rid me of mine.” Loki’s eyes twinkled mischievously. Steve opened his mouth to protest but stopped himself, knowing it would only encourage Loki to do just that.

            “So Loki,” Steve started as they walked out of the bathroom, Loki having given up getting rid of his cat ears and tail, “I just realized, I don’t know all that much about what sort of magic you can do. Sure, I’ve seen you fight but obviously you have other spells too, like this.” Steve gestured to his head where he still sported floppy golden-furred ears. Loki blinked, he had never been asked about the breadth of his knowledge of magic.

“Well you know of my illusion and shape shifting abilities…” Loki started. Steve nodded, encouraging Loki to continue.

“I do know some healing magic as well, though it was never a focus of my studies.” That seemed to catch Steve’s attention.

“Healing magic? Like what?” Steve asked.

“Hmm… I can heal most wounds so long as they are not infected. I also know spells to prevent infection but Fenrir is a much better healer than I am. If you want to know about healing magic, he’s the one to ask.” Steve nodded.

 _Oh. And I can also do this._ Loki said in his mind, projecting his thoughts to Steve. Loki watched as Steve jumped in surprise at the communication.

“How…?” Steve started, not sure how to finish.

 _I have some telepathic ability. I can project my thoughts to others but I can’t necessarily read other’s minds._ Loki shrugged; _I don’t often use it since it’s not very useful when they can’t speak back._

“Huh. I can’t say I expected that one.”

“Most don’t.” Loki said dismissively.

“So you’re really going to make me go to dinner like this?” Steve asked, gesturing to his head.

“I can be merciful just this once.” Loki grinned and waved his hand at Steve to rid him of the ears and tail. Steve smiled, amazed by how easily Loki gave in.

Nothing happened though. Loki tried the spell again, putting more energy into it, and yet nothing. Loki scrunched his face in confusion.

“Ah – she might have other ideas. She seems to be blocking my magic somehow.” Loki frowned.

“Well this will be an interesting dinner then, come on.” Steve said, shaking his head.

 

The looks they got from the others when the walked into dinner made Steve want to hide but he reminded himself they were looking at Loki too.

“Really Rogers? I’d expect that from Loki, but I thought you’d be a bit more traditional. Didn’t think you’d be into-“ Tony interrupted himself with a sneeze as they got closer. Loki smirked; there was one good thing to come of this, at least.

“Loki can’t control it, so we’re stuck this way for now.” Steve explained. Tony glared at them as his eyes watered and he struggled to hold back another sneeze. As they took their seats at the table, Nat reached out to touch Steve’s ears. Steve twitched but allowed it and Nat scratched at his ears for a moment.

“

“Well, they’re real. Not just an illusion. Why can’t you control it Loki?” She asked.

“Ah, well, my daughter has started to exercise and control her own magic. It’s interfering with mine and I can’t undo either spell.” Loki answered sheepishly.

“So, what, should we all steer clear until she’s born at the risk of growing tails and ears ourselves?” Tony asked between sneezes.

“No. She can only affect me with her spells and prevent me from doing my own correctly. As long as I don’t try to cast a spell on you, you’re safe.” Loki replied.

“How long do you think this will last?” Bruce asked, finally joining the conversation.

“Well…” Loki started, waving his hand at Steve, “Steve’s is gone whenever I’d like and now that you’ve all seen it, I suppose I can take it off now.” With that, Steve’s tail and ears immediately disappeared and Loki grinned at him mischievously. Steve stared at him open-mouthed.

“You could do that the whole time, couldn’t you? You were lying before.” Steve accused.

“Of course,” Loki said, “I tend to do that.”

Everyone laughed, enjoying the prank. Steve laughed along good-naturedly. Tony sneezing again interrupted them.

“Ugh. I need some Claritin or something. How long do I have to put up with the cat dandruff?” Tony asked as he got up to rummage through the cupboards for meds.

“That one I’m not lying about.” Loki admitted, “This is all my daughter’s spell and I can’t seem to undo it. I’ve tried, many times. So it’ll be sticking around until she decides to get rid of it.” Loki had pity enough to give Tony a sympathetic look.

They were all chatting and teasing Steve lightheartedly when Thor finally decided to join them.

“We’ll have to tell Barton about this when he gets back.” Nat laughed.

“Tell Barton about what?” Thor asked. Loki turned to look at Thor and then looked at Steve with mischief in his eyes as he raised his hand.

“Loki don’t-“ Steve started but it was too late. The furry ears and tail reappeared and everyone burst out laughing.

“That is amusing.” Thor smiled, “The golden fur suits you well, Rogers.”

“Alright, Thor’s seen it now. Can you get rid of it again?” Steve asked, laughing.

“I suppose.” Loki answered, waving his hand absentmindedly. The ears and tail stubbornly stayed in place and Loki furrowed his brow in confusion. He tried again, and again, with no luck.

“It was funny the first time Loki, but there’s no need to stretch it out this time.” Steve said.

“I’m not trying to. I truly can’t undo it this time.” Loki sounded exasperated.

“You can’t?” Steve asked, concerned.

“No.” Loki shook his head. “She’s not letting me.”

“Has your daughter started to exercise her magic, brother? Your other children affected your spells as well if I remember correctly.” Thor stated, unfazed as he took in Loki’s current appearance. Loki blinked in surprise; he wouldn’t have expected Thor to remember that.

“Yes, she has. Her magic doesn’t have much structure to it yet but she’s made it obvious she can make it do as she pleases.” Loki said gesturing to himself and Steve to indicate her role in their current appearances.

“Didn’t Hela give you fangs?” Thor asked, amused.

“Yes, but those I could hide! This… not so much.” Loki sighed and his tail twitched.

“Surely it’s better than the color-changing hair that Fenrir gave you?” Thor laughed, lightheartedly poking fun at Loki.

“You just had to bring that up, didn’t you?” Loki asked. He sounded stern but his smile said otherwise. “Though I still wish I could rid myself and Steve of this.”

“Hey, it’s alright. We can deal with this for a while, and I don’t think Fido over here really cares all that much either.” Nat spoke up and Steve nodded his agreement.

“Yeah, just stay out of my lab alright? I’ll go there when I need a break from the fur.” Tony said, sounding surprisingly understanding.

“Come on, let’s eat. That’s what we’re all in here for anyway.” Steve said and they all nodded in agreement before helping themselves to the food.

 

Bruce caught Loki after dinner before he could escape to his library or go somewhere with Steve.

“I got the test results back, if you and Steve want to come down to my lab we can open them up and see what they are.” Loki felt his mouth go dry at Bruce’s news. He felt both eager and anxious about what the results would be and wasn’t sure how he would feel whichever way the results came out.

“Yes, of course. We’ll come right away.” Loki answered, turning to get Steve.

The two met Bruce in his lab about ten minutes later with (Bruce noticed with amusement) their animal ears pricked in anticipation and Steve with his tail wagging just slightly. Bruce had to stop himself from laughing at the sight of the two of them. He grabbed a white envelope from one of the many piles of papers and approached them.

“Do you want to be sitting down for this?” Bruce asked, sliding a chair in their direction. Loki looked at the chair for a moment before taking a seat, his legs crossed in front of him. Steve pulled up another chair next to Loki and sat down as well, though he stayed on the very edge of the seat.

“Ready?” Bruce questioned. Both Loki and Steve nodded in response.

“Let’s just get on with it.” Loki said. Bruce slid a finger along the envelope’s seal, opening it smoothly. He pulled out the papers inside and looked through them for a moment as he deciphered them. He kept his face neutral and didn’t betray anything about the information he was reading.

“Well, they can’t definitively say that Steve isn’t her father. In fact, their results seem to be leaning towards that he _is_ her father as the most likely possibility.” Bruce paused for a moment and smiled at the two men in front of him. “Given the circumstances, I’m a bit surprised they were able to give us any sort of results at all.”

“What do you mean?” Steve asked.

“He’s referring to the fact that I’m not human. That alone could make it impossible to get results, and you aren’t exactly a typical human yourself.” Loki answered evenly as he rolled the results over in his head.

“Oh. Right. So do you think that I’m her father then?” Steve looked at Bruce expectantly.

“Yes, if there was no match at all the results would say so. It’s rare for the results to show a match without having any relation and since Loki isn’t even human it’s impossible for there to be distant relatives causing a false positive.” Bruce replied.

“So… I’m going to be a father? She’s actually mine?” Steve beamed as his tail wagged, seemingly uncontrollably.

“She was always yours.” Loki rolled his eyes, “But I’m happy to know she’s yours in more than just affection.” Loki leaned towards Steve as he spoke and nudged him with his shoulder affectionately.

 

Hours later, Loki and Steve lay in bed chatting before going to sleep.

“Can I ask you something Loki?” Steve asked. Loki nodded, wondering what could be on Steve’s mind.

“So, uh, color changing hair? That actually happened?” Steve grinned with amusement as he spoke.

“Ah… yes. Fenrir, as I’ve told you, is very adept at both healing magic and at sensing the emotions of others. When he first started to gain control of his magic his first spells manifested as changing the color of my hair.” Loki sighed, “His spell was set in such a way that the color of my hair changed depending on my mood. It was awkward and drew many stares if I did not hide it in some way.”

“Your hair color changed with your mood?” Steve asked.

“Yes.” Loki answered and Steve laughed.

“So you were essentially a walking Jotun mood ring.” Steve laughed loudly as he pictured Loki in the scenario, knowing the trickster typically hid his moods very well. Loki groaned despairingly as Steve continued laughing.

“It’s not that funny.” Loki said but a smile snuck its way onto his face. “Go to sleep and do **not** bring it up again.”

Steve brought it up again the next day with the others, they all enjoyed laughing about it and Thor recounted a few choice stories of when Loki’s hair utterly betrayed him. Loki crossed his arms and scowled but laughed just as much as the rest of them at the stories, adding the details Thor had forgotten.


	16. Chapter 16

The morning was quiet. Fenrir stretched lazily as he looked out over the pool that fed the river. There was not a thing that disturbed the water and the only movement that rippled its surface was the draining action of the river. Fenrir listened closely to the creatures in the woods nearby as they woke and started their days. The birds chirped quietly to each other as they announced their awakening and Fenrir could hear the patter of the various small furred creatures leaving their burrows in search of food. There were bigger creatures too, such as the hooved deer that moved cautiously through the bush and the bears that scavenged for berry bushes. Fenrir stood, honing in on the sound of a family of hares that munched contentedly at the new sprouts in the brush. He moved quickly, keeping his movement quiet and concealed. Before long, he held one of the hares in his jaw. The rabbit squirmed only briefly before Fenrir bit down hard, sparing the small creature from being distressed for any longer than necessary.

Fenrir settled again on the bank of the river to enjoy his meal. He allowed his mind to wander, his magic letting him observe the happenings across Asgard. He first sent his thoughts to the royal stables, where Sleipnir was also enjoying his own breakfast. The mare, Sylvi, accompanied Sleipnir and the two ate in silence as they brushed shoulders. Fenrir smiled inwardly, happy for his brother. Fenrir moved on, taking only a moment to see the happenings around the rest of the palace, there was little of interest going on and it seemed the entirety of Asgard was content with the start of the day. 

Fenrir took a deep breath before casting his mind in the direction of Vali’s cave. His younger brother typically began his day much the same way as Fenrir did, though with a much more tense and feral manner. It was surprising; therefore, that Vali did not appear to be in or near his cave. Fenrir searched the area with his mind, searching for some sign of Vali. He found nothing. Nothing, at least, until he felt an intense wave of pain and fear come over him. The pain was nearly unbearable even experiencing it second-hand as it was. Fenrir had never felt anything so intense from another. He stood quickly and ran in the direction he felt the wave come from, which he realized, with panic, was the direction of Vali’s home. Fenrir moved quickly, ignoring the sharp pain that warned him he was leaving his allowed area. He had to find Vali quickly, now sure the wave of emotion had come from his brother as it intensified and Fenrir was able to recognize the energy signature. Oh how he wished he knew where his brother was so he could teleport to him instantly.

Fenrir let his mind wander in front of him and used his nose to search for any sign of Vali, determined to find his as quickly as possible. It seemed to take hours before he caught even a whiff of Vali’s scent. Fenrir closed his eyes and breathed deeply when he finally found a scent, deciphering every element of it. Vali’s usual scent was overwhelmed by the smell of fear and, worryingly, blood. There was also the scent of a few others that Fenrir could not identify but they seemed to be Asgardian. Fenrir rushed ahead and the scents became stronger and before long the were accompanied by yelling and shouting as well as the pained whimpers of an injured wolf. Fenrir growled as he ran closer.

            When he finally reached Vali, Fenrir leaped immediately to place himself between his brother and his attackers.

            “Is this another of the liesmith’s monster children? Our hunt is most fruitful today!” One of the loathsome attackers shouted, laughing along with his comrades as they poked their weapons towards Fenrir. There were 4 of them total and Fenrir growled loudly at them as he crouched before Vali who lay weak and bleeding on the ground. Focusing his energy, Fenrir leapt at the attackers with his claws extended by shimmering blades of magic that cut easily through the Aesir’s thin leather armor. The Aesir that Fenrir had targeted knelt to the ground when Fenrir cut him but did not stay down for long. The group of them continued to laugh and jeer at Fenrir, throwing insults at him between attempting to cut him with their weapons.

            “Monsters! As if your Jotun mother would be even capable of producing Aesir children!”

“You are naught but creatures! Why should you be allowed to live when the very fate of Asgard is threatened by your continued existence? It is not as if you have _feelings._ ”

Fenrir fought them with all his energy and injured each and every one of them but eventually it became obvious that he would not be able to win this fight. Fenrir glanced back at Vali and saw, with relief, that he was still breathing. He had to get them both out of there.

 _Sleipnir!_ Fenrir called in his mind to his eldest brother, _We need your help!_ Fenrir sent Sleipnir an image of their location, hoping it would be clear enough. Fenrir just hoped that his brother would be able to reach them in time. He turned back to his opponents and steeled himself for another round. He was cut and bleeding in multiple places but he allowed his magic to block the pain until he could heal himself properly. The Aesir were also bleeding from their wounds but Fenrir noticed, with disappointment, that none of them had wounds that would greatly affect their mobility even if they did cause great pain. They fought more, Fenrir fighting desperately to keep them from getting to Vali and inflicting further wounds on him.

Needless to say, Fenrir was relieved to hear Sleipnir’s thundering hoof beats not much later. Sleipnir blocked the attackers with his large body and Fenrir quickly assumed his Aesir form, lifting Vali gently onto Sleipnir’s back before pulling himself up as well. As soon as they were situated, Sleipnir took off and quickly left their attackers far behind. When they were safe, Sleipnir finally spoke.

“What happened?” He asked.

“I am not quite sure. When I found Vali he was already down. I fear if I had been much later those despicable creatures would have killed him.” Fenrir answered.

“How did you find him? It is unusual for you to leave your area without cause.” Sleipnir commented.

“He, uh, I think he called to me with his magic, if unknowingly. I felt a sort of wave of fear and pain that was not my own and as I followed the energy, it became clear that it came from him.”

“I am glad you were able to find him.” Sleipnir had stopped at a small stream. Its waters were clear and there were no obvious threats. “Can you heal him?” Sleipnir asked as Fenrir dismounted and pulled Vali off with him.

“I believe so, but it may take time. He has many wounds.” Fenrir stated as he examined Vali. He ran his hand along the white wolf’s fur which was caked heavily in blood, both dark blood that had dried and made his fur stiff as well as bright red blood that oozed freshly from his wounds. Sleipnir nodded his understanding.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Sleipnir asked, looking around their immediate surroundings for anything that may be useful.

“Ah – perhaps find something we may use as bandages to slow the bleeding?” Fenrir replied before focusing on Vali again. Sleipnir left immediately to search for something suitable and Fenrir focused on his healing spells. He started with the small scratches and scrapes that littered Vali’s body in between the larger wounds caused by their attacker’s weapons. He was pleased to see that those healed relatively easily, none were particularly deep and most took only seconds to heal once Fenrir began to work his spell over them.

Once Vali’s small wounds were healed, Fenrir was able to look more closely at his larger wounds. The most urgent seemed to be the long, ragged tear along Vali’s stomach. It bled constantly and the depth of it worried Fenrir as it seemed to cut all the way through Vali’s abdominal wall and a few of his organs were exposed. Vali also had a gaping wound in one shoulder and multiple deep stab wounds along his back. Fenrir decided to start with his stomach wound and began to work his magic on it.

The wound barely responded to Fenrir’s spell. The edges of the wound became slightly cleaner and the bleeding slowed but the wound did not shrink or begin to heal as Fenrir had hoped. Vali whimpered as Fenrir pressed gently along the wound, searching for irregularities that may have caused his spell to fail. Fenrir stroked his brother’s head comfortingly and sent a large wave of pain-relieving magic into the white wolf’s body. Vali calmed almost immediately and Fenrir continued to examine the wound. He found not anomalies that could have prevented the spell from working correctly and tried to heal the wound again with a slightly different spell. This time the spell did nothing. Fenrir tried again and again with every healing spell he had but nothing affected the wound in the slightest. Sleipnir returned then.

“What’s wrong?” Sleipnir asked as he noticed Fenrir’s look of worry and frustration.

“Whatever weapon those men used, it inflicted wounds that my magic cannot heal. Do you know of such a weapon that can do this?” Fenrir turned to Sleipnir as he spoke, his eyes glassy with worry for Vali.

“I have heard rumors… It is said that a weapon forged in the blood of its target, or even a direct relative of its target, will inflict wounds impossible to heal with magic. Do you think that may be what happened?”

“I have never before encountered a wound which was completely unaffected by my magic. If such a weapon exists, then that is almost surely what happened.” Fenrir sighed, “Where would they have gotten the blood to do such a thing?”

“I can think of one occasion where our family’s blood was spilled and any Aesir would have had easy access to it.” Sleipnir said sadly.

“Narfi.” Fenrir said, his eyes widening in comprehension. Sleipnir nodded.

“We will worry about the weapon later. For now, can you bandage him up with these so we can take him somewhere safer?” Sleipnir indicated the large leaves and several vines he had brought back. Fenrir nodded and set to work, doing his best to stem the blood flow.

            “Where are we going to take him? Asgard isn’t safe for him.” Fenrir asked as he worked.

“Midgard. Mother would surely prefer to have him nearby and they have access to the best healers Midgard can offer.” Sleipnir shook his head, “I only wish it were not necessary to cause him such distress considering his current condition.” Fenrir nodded.

“It is unavoidable now but I share the sentiment.” Fenrir tied the last vine around the makeshift bandages and checked each of the knots again. He placed a hand on Vali’s head and worked his anti-pain spell again along with one to put Vali to sleep for the duration of the trip.

“Alright, he’s ready. He shouldn’t wake up until we get there, and will probably sleep even longer after that.” Fenrir stood and gathered Vali in his arms to place him over Sleipnir’s back. Fenrir situated himself behind Vali so he could monitor the wolf’s condition and soon they were off.

It did not seem like much time had passed at all when the reached the Avengers’ tower, landing on the balcony. The tower was quiet and it surprised Fenrir that they were not immediately greeted by either one of the Avengers or the amusing bots that the one called Stark seemed to enjoy having around. Sleipnir shifted his weight between his hooves, unsure what to do. Neither he nor Fenrir wished to disturb the seeming peacefulness of the tower but they knew it was necessary for Vali’s sake. Fenrir dismounted quietly and walked to the doors, leaving Vali with Sleipnir.

“I’ll return in a moment.” Fenrir said before opening the door and going inside. The common room that the balcony attached to was empty. No one seemed to be around and Fenrir moved through the room cautiously. He knew there were no threats here but he remained on edge after the morning’s events.

“Can I help you, sir?” A voice asked. Fenrir tensed before realizing that it was simply the artificial intelligence that ran the tower.

“I’m looking for my mother, Loki, Do you know where he is? It is an emergency.” Fenrir said, unsure where to look as he spoke.

“He is in his room with Mr. Rogers, would you like me to notify him of your presence?”

“Ah, yes. If you could have him meet me here, please.” Fenrir replied. He stood anxiously as he waited for Loki.

 

“Fenrir? What is it? What’s wrong?” Loki asked as soon as he entered the room. Steve followed behind him. When he got a better look at Fenrir, his voice wavered, “You’re hurt.”

“I am fine. Mother… It is Vali, he is gravely injured and my magic is ineffective against his wounds.” Fenrir said, gesturing towards Sleipnir who still stood on the balcony.

“What?” Loki asked as he rushed outside to check on his youngest son. Steve raised his head slightly; his eyes filled with concern, and spoke aloud.

“Jarvis, please get medical personnel here immediately. Tell them to be prepared for anything.” Steve sounded calm and in control but Fenrir could hear his heart beating frantically.

“Of course, sir.” Responded the artificial intelligence.  

Loki walked back inside then, Sleipnir alongside him with Vali still on his back. Loki’s eyes were read and his face wet. Steve went to him and hugged him, unsure what else to do.

“I asked Jarvis to send the medical personnel, they’re on their way.” Steve said quietly.

“What happened?” Loki asked shakily.

“There were some Asgardian hunters after Vali. I didn’t recognize them, but it was obvious they knew who we were. They… said some very cruel things.” Fenrir responded. Anger washed over Loki’s face as he listened to Fenrir’s account of the incident.

“I would have their heads.” Loki scowled.

“We will make sure they pay. For now, your son needs you here.” Steve spoke gently, placing his hands on Loki’s shoulders and forcing the trickster to look at him.

“What you need to do right now is help our doctors with how to treat Vali. They’re with Shield, so they’ve got experience with unusual patients but, uh, this might be a bit more unusual than usual.” Steve said. The medical personnel came in just moments later. They moved quickly and to their credit they did not outwardly react to Loki nor his children and their unusual appearances. They were gentle as they lifted Vali from Sleipnir’s back and moved him to their stretcher. They treated him with as much kindness as they would any human. Sleipnir shifted his form once Vali was moved and they all followed the medical personnel to the hospital ward on one of the lower floors of the tower.

 

Some time later, Loki found himself alone with Vali. Fenrir and Sleipnir had left to find Jor and Hela and Loki had sent Steve away not long after they left. The medical staff had done what they could for Vali’s wounds immediately, which was frustratingly little. Loki ran a hand down his son’s side, carefully avoiding his wounds. He listened closely to Vali’s breathing; the wolf’s breath was labored and uneven. Loki worried whether the Midgardian healers had done enough, whether they could do enough, to save his son. Loki sighed, rolling a thought over in his mind. He pressed his hand to Vali’s forehead and allowed his magic to run over his son’s form. Loki worked his magic carefully so as not to cause his son unnecessary pain but even so it did not take long before the wolf’s form was replaced by that of a young boy. Loki ran his eyes over his son’s true form. He had aged since he last took an Aesir form. His hair had grown longer and his face less round. His hair was as dark as it had ever been, a stark contrast to the white fur of his wolf form.

“I thought you told me once it would be dangerous for him to be returned to his Aesir form before his mind was ready.” Loki jumped and turned to see Steve who watched him from just inside the door.

“If my son should die, I would have him die as an Aesir.” Loki said quietly as he brushed his Vali’s hair from his face.

“He’s not going to die. We have all of the best doctors coming in and they will do everything in their power to help him.” Steve reassured Loki. He moved to embrace Loki and stood looking down at Vali.

“What’s the bracelet?” Steve asked, gesturing to the woven leather bracelet on Vali’s wrist.

“My moth- ah, Frigga, made them for Vali and Narfi when they were young. They always wore them.” Loki answered.

“He looks a lot like you, you know.” Steve commented as he took in the young Aesir’s features.

“Hmm, I suppose.” Loki responded, “I always thought he and Narfi took after their mother, other than their hair.”

“The hair has to be yours.” Steve agreed, laughing. “Come on, you need to eat and dinner is all ready upstairs. He’ll be fine, they’ll call us if there is any trouble and Jarvis is monitoring him as well.”

 

Dinner was quiet. Clint was still home with his family and Thor had left that morning to visit Jane. The remaining avengers were not quite sure what to say to Loki and as a result there was little conversation.  Loki excused himself as soon as he had finished and turned to go back to the medical ward.

“Hang on Loki, let me come with you.” Steve said, standing to join the trickster. Loki stared at him for a moment before responding.

“I’d rather go alone.” Loki said shortly before leaving. Steve did not follow. Loki had nearly made it to the medical ward when Natasha caught up to him and stopped him.

“Steve just wants to help you right now, he wants to be there for you.” Nat said, crossing her arms. “You can’t just push him away. It’s okay to want to be alone with your son sometimes, but let Steve, and the rest of us, be there to support you sometimes too, okay?” Loki regarded her for a moment before sighing and nodding his assent. She was right; he would need their support in this.

 

It turned out that Loki wasn’t, in fact, alone in visiting Vali. When he reached Vali’s room there was a woman standing with him. She was dressed royally, her dress lined with gold accents and the sleeves hung long from her wrists. The woman had light brown hair that reached to nearly her elbows with loose wavy curls that bounced as she moved. Her features mirrored Vali’s though her eyes were wet with tears where his remained closed and peaceful.

“Sigyn.” Loki greeted when he entered the room, “I am surprised to see you.” Sigyn turned to face Loki and looked over him, her eyes hesitating for a moment on his stomach before she looked him in the face (at which point Loki was glad he had finally been able to rid himself and Steve of their animalistic features last week).

“Our son is hurt and his life is threatened by his injuries. I have the right to be here as much as you.” She said, her voice wavering.

“I did not mean to imply otherwise.” Loki smiled faintly at her, “I am glad to see you, it has been too long.”

“Yes.” She agreed, turning back to Vali. “I assume it was you who returned him to this form?”

“That was my doing, yes. I… I do not wish to see him die as a creature he is not.” Loki sighed.

“I do not wish to see him die.” Sigyn remarked, running her hand through Vali’s hair. “I have already lost my other son, I could not bear to lose him as well.”

“I have hope that he will live but I could not forgive myself if I left him as the creature they turned him into only to lose him forever.” Loki said.

“I understand. Thank you.” Sigyn said, looking over Loki as she spoke. She looked away again quickly. “I see you have found a new partner. Congrats.”

“Ah.” Loki said, placing a hand over his stomach where his daughter rested quietly. “Sigyn, I-“ Sigyn held up a hand and stopped him.

“Loki, we have not seen each other in nearly 500 years. I do not blame you for finding another, and I really am happy for you.” Sigyn smiled at Loki and Loki smiled in return. He couldn’t help but think that if tragedy had not torn them apart, it could be the two of them welcoming another child to the world instead.

“You have always been too nice to me Sigyn, you never gave up on me even when I did make mistakes. The other Asgardians were never so kind.” Loki sighed.

“The other Asgardians were not in love with you as I was.” Sigyn shook her head, blushing. “And they were never able to accept the fact that you did make mistakes. They believed everything you did to be a trick of some form.”

“And that was why I loved you, you were able to see when something I did was truly a mistake.” Loki smiled. He walked over to her and kissed the top of her head gently (quite easy to do, she was nearly a foot shorter than him) before pulling chairs for both of them from the edge of the room. They sat in silence for some time, watching their son.

“Do you remember, when he was younger, how he, Narfi, and Fenrir used to play?” Sigyn asked.

“Yes,” Loki answered, smiling fondly at the memory, “Fenrir was practically still a puppy then. They would play for hours and hours until we called them in for dinner.”

“That they did.” Sigyn paused, looking at Vali, her eyes glassy. “Do you think we’ll ever get him back? That he’ll be our Vali again?” Loki thought for a moment, unsure how to respond.

“When I visited him some weeks ago, to tell him about her,” Loki gestured to his stomach, “he was very responsive. He seemed much more present than he has in the past. He is getting better.” Sigyn nodded, pleased with Loki’s answer. The two sat with Vali for some hours longer, exchanging memories from years past, before Loki finally excused himself to turn in for the night.

“As much as I wish I could sit with him over night, my current condition would not allow that.” Loki sighed, “If you would like, we have a spare bed. You can stay the night and not have to worry about traveling to Asgard.”

“Thank you. I may take you up on that offer later, but I would like to sit with him a while longer.” Sigyn said. Loki nodded at her reply and turned to leave.

“Jarvis? When Sigyn leaves this room will you please guide her to my old chambers so she may spend the night?”

“Of course, sir.” Jarvis responded immediately.

“Good night Sigyn, I hope to see you again in the morning.” Loki said as he walked out and returned to his bed. He was exhausted from the eventful day.


	17. Chapter 17

Loki went to Vali’s room immediately the next morning. He hoped to see his son in better condition but did not hold out much hope. He knew the Midgardian medicines worked slowly even at their most effective when compared with those of Asgard.

When he reached the room he found all was much how it had been the night before, including the fact that Sigyn was still in the same chair she had sat in when he left. She was asleep and Loki watched her for a moment before lightly tapping her on the shoulder.

“Sigyn,” He said gently as she opened her eyes wearily, “Did you sleep here all night?” She blinked at him, her eyes not quite in focus yet. She shook her head as if to wake herself up before responding.

“Yes, I suppose I did. I had only meant to close my eyes for a few moments…” She trailed off as she looked over to Vali. “How is he?”

“I’ve only just gotten here, but he seems to be the same as he was last night.” Loki replied. Loki thought his son looked a bit less pale than the night before but he couldn’t help but wonder if that was simply a trick of the morning light that shone through the window. There was a knock on the door a few moments later and one of the nurses entered. She was young but not the youngest of the medical staff and Loki remembered she had seemed to be the one in charge the night before. She had short, thick, blond hair and many freckles that made her look even younger than she likely was.

“Good morning Mr. Laufeyson,” She greeted Loki as she entered. Loki scowled at the name, though he knew the girl meant it to sound respectful.

“Good morning.” Loki replied.

“I’m sorry to have to intrude but I need to change Vali’s bandages. I’ll also get him some more pain medicine.” She moved to Vali as she spoke and began to check his vitals.

“Of course, thank you.” Loki and Sigyn watched the nurse as she worked. She was very gentle, Loki noted, careful to move Vali only as much as necessary to do her work.

“His wounds seem to be doing well, they are clean and there doesn’t appear to be any infection forming. I’m going to give him a slightly different pain medication. It’s just as strong but won’t keep him under as much as the last one we used did. Don’t be surprised if he wakes up a little bit but don’t expect him to be able to stay awake for long.” The nurse said as she finished up.

“Thank you, for all you’re doing for him.” Sigyn said gratefully.

“Of course, I’m happy to do all I can.” The nurse nodded to both of them before leaving.

When they were alone again Loki walked over to Vali and placed a hand on his shoulder. He sent waves of his magic into Vali and assessed his son’s condition for himself. The nurse was correct about the lack of infection and, Loki was pleased to notice, Vali’s wounds had largely stopped bleeding and those that the doctors were able to stitch were already healing nicely. Magical assistance or not, the Asgardians were able to heal much more quickly than those of Midgard.

“He’s healing well.” Loki said, removing his hand from Vali’s shoulder and pulling a chair so he could comfortably reach Vali while sitting. Sigyn smiled, relief obvious in her expression.

“I am glad.” Sigyn said, “If he does wake up, as the nurse suggested, do you think he’ll be able to speak?” Loki sighed; he knew the topic of what would happen when he woke would come up eventually.

“I don’t know. If he speaks at all it is unlikely to be very intelligible.” Loki replied. They were quiet for a few moments, both watching Vali intently as if his condition could change at a moments notice. And while Vali’s didn’t, Loki found that his daughter’s had. She had just woken and he could feel her kicking at him. Loki grunted and shifted his position in an attempt to relieve the dull pain. He laid a hand on his stomach to try and calm her though he knew it to be futile. Loki looked up to see Sigyn giving him a knowing smile. He blushed, unable to stop the color from entering his cheeks.

“She’s letting me know she’s awake, quite forcefully.” Loki grimaced and Sigyn gave him a sympathetic look.

“Imagine having two of them kicking at you at once.” Sigyn laughed.

“I have endured _eight_ legs kicking at once, remember? And they were hooved.” Loki said casually, a glimmer in his eye.

“Alright, you win.” Sigyn grinned. “How far along are you? You haven’t mentioned it.”

“25 weeks. She’s been kicking for a while and grows more forceful everyday. I believe she’s inherited her father’s strength.” Loki answered, smiling. Her strength gave him hope that her heart truly did reflect Steve’s as it was now rather than before.

“Healthy kicks from a healthy baby.” Sigyn commented, “Has she played with her magic yet? I remember when Narfi and Vali began to play with theirs, that was an interesting few weeks.”

“Ah.” Loki replied, blushing again. “She has. She was most interested in transformation magic at first; she gave me cat ears and a matching tail. I wasn’t able to get rid of them for weeks.” Sigyn laughed, picturing the appearance that Loki must have had.

“That’s a bit more extreme than anything the boys did to me. I believe the worst they did was create a small storm cloud over my head and that only lasted a few hours.” Sigyn grinned.

“I remember that, Frigga made you stay outside for the duration of it so as not to ruin the rugs.” Loki chuckled at the memory. “Bearing magical children has its hazards.”

“Yes,” Sigyn said, “And I suppose you know that even better than most.” They were interrupted then by a light knock on the door that was quickly followed by Steve entering the room. Steve paused as soon as he saw Sigyn, surprise crossing his face.

“Oh, hello. I’m sorry; I thought Loki would be the only one in here. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” He said, stumbling over his words.

“Steve,” Loki grinned, “This is Sigyn, Vali’s mother. And Sigyn, this is Steve, my partner.”

“It’s a pleas-“ Sigyn and Steve paused when they realized they had both spoken at the same time. Steve blushed and Sigyn laughed.

“Oh, uh. Ladies first.” Steve said, flustered.

“Ladies first? I don’t understand.” Sigyn said as her brow creased in confusion. Loki stifled a laugh; he had learned some of the Midgardian phrases in his time here. ‘Ladies first’ was a common one that Loki had learned was meant as a form of respect for the women and was used to let women know that men would like for women to proceed before they themselves did. There was no comparable phrase in Asgard, hence Sigyn’s confusion.

“Sorry, uh. I meant, um, you can say whatever it is you were trying to say. You can go first.” Steve’s face was bright red by this point. Sigyn blinked, unfazed by Steve’s awkwardness.

“I was saying it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Sigyn smiled, holding out her hand to Steve.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” Steve returned the smile and shook her hand though his cheeks were still pink with embarrassment.

“So Steve,” Sigyn started, giving him a narrow look with a smirk, “You’re taking good care of Loki, are you not?”

“Sigyn…” Loki warned lightheartedly, though his eyes showed only amusement.

“I hope so. If I’m not, he hasn’t said anything.” Steve answered, looking to Loki questioningly.

“You’re fine, Steve.” Loki rolled his eyes and grinned.

“And how did you meet?” Sigyn asked, raising a brow. Steve’s eyes widened though he forced himself to smile. They hadn’t exactly met in a conventional manner.

“Uh… we were in Germany. We weren’t exactly ‘on the same side’ at that point.” Steve sputtered, causing Loki to roll his eyes yet again.

“I was under the Chitauri’s influence and my mind was warped from time in the abyss. I was not myself. Due to my actions and mindset, we met first as enemies.” Loki sighed.

“I learned what he’s really like when he came back to Earth from Asgard after being, uh, imprisoned.” Steve snickered, “He’s still a trouble maker, but he’s not a threat.” Loki scowled.

“I can be a threat if I need to be.”

“Alright, enough.” Sigyn interrupted. “Now, if I may ask, what year were you born? I am terrible with Midgardian ages.”

“Well, I was born in 1918, but –“

“Oh, you’re so young!” Sigyn interrupted. “Or is that not young for Midgardians?” She asked when she saw the look Steve gave her.

“That would actually make me really old for a human, but physically I’m 31. It’s a long story” Steve shrugged. He hoped she was almost done with the questions.

“If we speak in equivalent ages, that makes him only slightly younger than I am.” Loki commented.

“Wait, younger? By how much?” Steve asked, surprised.

“Well, in your terms I’m approximately 36. So five years.” Loki replied with a grin.

“That can’t be right.” Steve snorted. “At the very least, I’m older than you mentally.” Loki raised a brow in response, waiting for Steve to say more. Sigyn spoke up before Steve had the chance.

“You two can argue about that later, look.” Sigyn gestured to Vali who seemed to be waking up. Vali’s hand twitched and he had moved his head so that he was facing sideways rather than upwards. His eyelids fluttered and he made a quiet groaning sound before opening his eyes slightly and blinking at the light.

“Father?” Vali asked, his voice was graveled and weak but sounded urgent. Loki moved to where his son could see him and placed his hand over Vali’s.

“I am here, Vali.” Loki said gently. Vali looked up at him for a moment before giving a weak smile. His eyes were still glossed over, Loki noted, and he did not seem to be able to focus on anything he saw.

“Safe.” Vali said, his eyes brightening just slightly before closing again. His breaths became long and steady, signaling that he had fallen back to sleep. Loki looked over to Sigyn who seemed to be trying to process what Vali had said.

“Safe from what?” She asked.

“Who ever it was that attacked him, I suppose.” Loki shifted uncomfortably, looking down in shame, “According to Fenrir, the attackers were after him in large part because of his relation to me. Their comments were quite hateful and it’s possible Vali was worried they were after me.”

“They wouldn’t come here, would they?” Steve asked, concern in his voice.

“No.” Loki shook his head, “Heimdall would not let them through and they would not know of the hidden passages between the realms.” Steve still looked worried, as did Sigyn.

“Should we have Tony set the bots to defend? Just to be safe?” Steve asked.

“I certainly would feel much more comfortable if you had guards in place.” Sigyn added. Loki looked at them both for a moment before nodding.

“It may not be needed, but I agree it wouldn’t hurt.” Loki consented and Steve promised to speak with Tony about it later.

 

Hours later Loki found himself alone with Vali. Steve had left to attend to some of his various responsibilities as leader of the avengers and shield agent and Loki had finally convinced Sigyn to take a break and go to his old chambers to sleep. Loki watched Vali’s chest rise and fall, listening peacefully to the steady rhythm of his son’s breaths. He smiled at Vali despite knowing that his son was unaware of him.

“Why don’t I tell you a story? Your baby sister may enjoy hearing one too.” Loki smiled, “Which would you like me to do? You always enjoyed the ones about Sleipnir.” Loki reached for his magic, creating a shimmering likeness of his eldest son before him. Illusions were a habit for Loki when it came to story telling. The illusion pawed and pranced in circles above Vali’s bed.

“As you well know, your brother is Asgard’s finest war horse. He has taken part in many great battles.” The illusion Sleipnir mimicked fighting stances as Loki spoke and puffed its chest proudly.

“Though he has won many wars, there have always been the battles which stood out among the rest. The wars against realms of darkness and hatred have always held much more glory in them than petty battles within our own realm.

“Some battles do not have many opponents at all and yet they become the most glorious all the same. Have I told you of how Sleipnir trapped the dragon Nidhogg beneath the world tree?” Loki asked though he was well aware he would get no response. The illusion of Sleipnir now stood baring its teeth at a figure of a dragon slightly larger than it was.  The dragon had large wings that beat rhythmically as it appeared held itself aloft and its mouth was open, showing its large teeth.

“Nidhogg was a scourge upon Asgard. He feasted on the corpses of our mothers and warriors without discretion. He showed no respect to any Asgardian whether they still held the breath of life or were laid to rest. Nidhogg had no concept of honor for the dead and we in Asgard did not wish to tolerate him.

“The council decided, of course, that something must be done about him. Sleipnir was naturally a part of the group chosen to go against him and he did so proudly. They awaited Nidhogg at sundown; concealing themselves within the graveyard the dragon had visited the last 3 nights. Their wait was not long and soon they stood facing the great dragon that had brought so many disturbances.

“Though many of the warriors were uncertain, Sleipnir stood steadily and waited for the cue to charge. It would be his duty to carry the dragon away from Asgard as soon as he was able. The other warriors had been given the task of subduing the dragon in order to give Sleipnir the best chances.

“The dragon proved difficult to fight and not even the best of the warriors was able to injure the dragon. Sleipnir did not back down. As soon as the dragon was turned away from him, he charged with the king upon his back. Sleipnir struck him with his front hooves and toppled him over, sending the dragon over the edge of Yggsdrasil with some help from his magic.” Loki’s illusions mimicked his words, acting out the scenes as Loki spoke. The dragon fell dramatically, wings flapping futilely. The Sleipnir illusion looked proud of itself for a moment and then cantered down so that it stood next to the dragon.

“The dragon fell to the roots of Yggsdrasil and Sleipnir quickly pinned him down. Nidhogg struggled mightily but was unable to free itself from Sleipnir. Of course, there are few that can match Sleipnir in strength. Sleipnir held him and used his magic to assist the king with arranging the roots of the world tree to trap Nidhogg.

“When they had finished, Nidhogg was barely able to move. He chewed constantly against the roots of the tree but nothing he did loosened his bonds. The beast is now fed only the corpses of those guilty of the most heinous crimes. Sleipnir is the reason we no longer have a dragon terrorizing Asgard. You should be proud to call him your brother, as I am proud to call him my son.”

“Thank you, Mother.” A voice said from the doorway. Loki turned to see that Sleipnir had entered. He looked tired, but then they all did. Sleipnir had been out most of the night before tracking down Jormungand to inform him of what happened to Vali and then had gone to Hela as well.

“Sleipnir.” Loki smiled, standing to embrace him. “I did not hear you come in.”

“I have only just gotten here. But mother, you really should not exaggerate your stories so much. The fight against Nidhogg was a short and unglamorous one.”

“I beg to differ.” Loki mused, his pride evident. “Are the others with you as well?”

“They are, but I asked them to wait outside. It’s a bit crowded for all of us to visit at once.” Sleipnir responded. “How does Vali fare? Has his condition improved?”

“He woke for a short time but he has been asleep since. I suspect he will wake more frequently in the coming days.” Loki answered, looking over at Vali. Sleipnir nodded in agreement, watching his brother’s chest rise and fall steadily.

“We’ll have to make sure one of us is with him at all times so he is not alone when he wakes.” Sleipnir commented. “I will stay with him for now, I believe I heard one of the midgardians calling for everyone to come to dinner.”

“I suppose I should go then. Will you send for me if he wakes? And Sigyn as well?” Loki asked.

“Of course.” Sleipnir replied, taking Loki’s seat as Loki left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long, I had a hard time with it for whatever reason. Next chapter should be quicker!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! This is a short chapter. I had initially planned on this and the next chapter being all one but with moving back in at school in the next week and other things I won't have it done as soon as I'd like and figured I'd go ahead and give you all this to hold you over :)

It was a week later and the tower was mostly quiet. It was strange how quickly Loki’s children had settled in after declaring they wouldn’t be leaving until Vali was well. There was hardly a time now that you could walk into the common room without seeing Hela sitting cross-legged on the couch as she took in every detail of whichever TV show she had stumbled upon that day. It was equally as likely to find Jor in either Stark’s or Banner’s lab, watching them work intently. Sleipnir and Fenrir were less regular in their activities but even so they were regular fixtures around the tower.

Today, Loki walked in to the common room to find Fenrir and Hela lounging on the couch. They were watching one of the Midgardians’ many fantasy TV shows. This one appeared to be about werewolves, if the title that flashed across the screen was anything to go by.

“I’m the hot girl?” One of the characters was saying.

“You are the hottest girl.” Another confirmed.

“I’m the hot girl.” The first character repeated, smiling broadly.

“Am _I_ the hot girl?” Fenrir asked, turning to Hela with a grin. She threw a pillow at him.

“Clearly _I’m_ the hot girl here.” Hela winked. Loki rolled his eyes as the two broke into laughter.

“I’m glad to see you both having fun.” Loki smiled, “Where are your brothers?” Fenrir and Hela looked over as if they had just now noticed him.  

“Hello Mother!” Hela said, smiling. “I saw Jor following Dr. Banner to his lab earlier and the last time I saw Sleipnir he was with Vali. Were you looking for them?”

“No, not really. I was simply curious.” Loki smiled, taking a seat between the two of them. “May I watch with you?”

“Of course, Mother.” Fenrir said, moving to lean against Loki’s side. The show continued to play, but Loki didn’t take much notice of it. He focused instead on just being near his family and enjoying their company. Loki didn’t even realize he had closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

He woke to Fenrir and Hela pressed close on either side of him, both were awake but Loki noticed they had turned off the sound on the TV to avoid waking him. The screen showed one of the characters from earlier, as well as a red-haired girl. The character Loki recognized now had a bat, but Loki wasn’t quite sure what he was doing with it.

“You managed to sleep through a Banshee scream. That’s pretty impressive.” Hela said with a grin, “Little sis is tiring you out, isn’t she?”

“She’s strong.” Fenrir commented, “I can feel her magic even when she’s resting. And I am not constantly near her as you are.” Fenrir gave Loki a look of pity.

“She’s no more tiring than either of you were.” Loki laughed.

“Have you decided on a name for her yet? She will be needing one.” Hela asked.

“Hmm, no. We haven’t had a chance to discuss names.” Loki made a note to bring it up to Steve the next chance he had. Loki looked up when he noticed the TV screen change at the edge of his vision. The episode had evidently finished and the screen now showed various suggestions of what they should watch next. Fenrir looked at the screen for a moment and then stood.

“I promised Steve that I’d teach him more about my healing spells, I should go.” Fenrir smiled at both of them before leaving, shifting into his canine form as he left the room (a habit he had picked up as soon as he learned of Stark’s allergy and how much it annoyed him to see ‘animals’ in his tower).

“I had planned to visit Vali, will you join me?” Loki asked Hela, stretching out his arms as he stood as well. Hela agreed and the two started to walk to the medical ward. They hadn't even left the common room before the alarms went off in the tower and stopped them in their tracks. Loki looked back to the TV, which now showed a live feed from downtown.

“What are those creatures?” Hela asked, looking at the TV with him.

“They’re trolls. And unfortunately I believe I know who is leading them.” Loki said, frowning. Before long, they were joined in the common room by the rest of the team as well as Jor and Fenrir. Sleipnir followed moments later. The humans, Loki noticed, were already dressed in their battle uniforms.

“You will need magic against this foe. She comes from Asgard and she is a very powerful sorceress. I believe she calls herself The Enchantress here on Midgard.” Loki announced when they had all gathered.

“You’re not going.” Steve said, his arms crossed. Loki waved his hand dismissively.

“Of course I’m not.” Loki sighed. “But maybe…” Loki stopped himself, shaking his head. Hela grinned at him.

“We’d be happy to help.” Hela said, gesturing to herself and her brothers.

“We’re more powerful together than you would be alone anyway.” Fenrir added.

“I’ll keep an eye out for them.” Sleipnir reassured Loki. “We’ll be fine. And the battle will have fewer casualties with our help.” Loki looked over his children, considering.

“Alright. You may go.” Loki nodded, “But you must promise to watch each other’s backs. I don’t want any more of you hurt.” They all nodded their agreement, knowing amongst themselves they would have been watching each other anyway.

“Let’s do this.” Fenrir grinned, his words finishing in a growl as he assumed his canine form. He flexed his claws and stretched. His shoulder was even with Steve’s eyes in this form and his broad build dwarfed the size of the room.

“Our magic is more powerful in our true forms.” Sleipnir said, almost apologetically, before assuming his own true form. He was tall and obviously built for speed. Though he stood at least a foot taller than his brother he lacked the large presence due to his lean frame. The lack of breadth to his build did nothing to stop his commanding aura and the Avengers instinctively bowed their heads in respect.

“Ooh, me next! Isn’t this fun?” Hela smiled. “Nat, I hope you don’t mind but I _so_ need an outfit like that.” Hela began her transformation as soon as she finished speaking and the Avengers watched in fascinated horror as her skin appeared to melt off of half of her body to reveal the ash-colored bones beneath. Her clothes transformed as well, pulling in tight so that her billowing skirt and tank top soon became a form-fitting black suit that closely mirrored Natasha’s. None of the Avengers remained looking at her when she had finished her transformation, her hollow half too unnerving to look at for long.

“Come on Scales, you should change too.” Hela said, bumping her shoulder against Jor. Jor shook his head in response, chuckling.

“I wouldn’t fit in here if I transformed. I will once we’re outside.” He smiled. Hela rolled her eyes at him.

“You always have to brag about being the biggest don’t you?” She grinned. Steve cleared his throat, interrupting them.

“We need to go.” He said; nodding at the TV, which currently showed a group of trolls overturning a bus and other cars.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally an update! Sorry it took so long, thank Kio-Neko for pestering me to stop procrastinating.

Loki followed them outside just long enough to help fit each of his children with one of Stark’s communicators before being shooed back inside. He watched the team leave, pleased to see that they were already discussing strategies amongst themselves as they prepared to enter the fight.

When he could no longer see them from the doorway Loki left to observe from the media room, where the videos from Stark’s bots (as well as several city security cameras) were fed for monitoring. Upon reaching the room Loki quickly located the team as well as the largest groups of trolls. He sat and fitted himself with one of the communicators so that he could warn the others if one of the trolls tried to come up behind them. Playing the part of eyes in the sky was not Loki’s preferred style, but it did help him to feel slightly less useless. Loki scanned the monitors and assessed their foes. The trolls did not seem particularly organized and Loki had to wonder how much direction the Enchantress had given them. They seemed to be most interested in smashing and looting and did not appear to have a clear goal in mind.

“There’s a large group of trolls a few blocks east of you.” Loki said into the comms unit, “They’ve utterly terrified the tourists on one of those ridiculous buses, it may be best to go take care of them.”

“Got it. Fenrir, Hela, let’s go. Tony, Thor, fly up and cover us from above. Nat, take the others and look for other groups. Watch your backs, we don’t know for sure how many are out here and they seem to be unpredictable.” Steve responded. Loki watched as he peeled off from the rest of the group with Hela and Fenrir in tow. He couldn’t help but grin as he realized that Hela was, quite literally, bouncing rather than jogging like the other two were. She was grinning broadly and Loki may have suspected she was going to a birthday party rather than a battle had he seen her on the street as a stranger.

It didn’t take them long to reach the group Loki had directed them to. Steve motioned for them to hold back a moment as they planned out a course of action. The tourist bus would be the obvious priority, as there didn’t seem to be any other citizens around. A few trolls had taken to smashing the windows of the nearby buildings and taking whatever goods they could find within.

The three must have come to some agreement because they split up a moment later. Fenrir lengthened his claws with magic and charged the trolls that were looting the buildings. He clawed every one of them and before long most were on the ground unconscious if not dead. At the same time, Hela leaped towards the group of trolls pestering the bus. She distracted them first, flitting around quickly and luring them away from the bus. Once they were all focused on her she duplicated herself, a wicked grin on her face, until there was more of her than there were of the trolls.

Loki grinned as he watched her. He remembered teaching her the duplication technique and knew just what was coming next. It was a trick more daring than he usually chose, but it suited Hela’s chaotic nature quite nicely. The trolls were so distracted by the copies in front of them that they failed to realize that not all of the duplicates had stayed within the circle they had created around her. Their fates were already sealed, but Loki took delight in watching the carefully planned movements of his daughter’s clones, small pieces of bright metal glinting in their hands. They all leapt together, wrapping one arm around their targets’ shoulders and swiftly raking the daggers in their hands across the trolls’ necks. The duplicates disappeared almost instantaneously once they had finished their job and Loki laughed where he saw where Hela had ended up on top of the stoplight just above the trolls’ heads. She was grinning and clapping for herself as she observed the outcome of her attack, obviously pleased.

Meanwhile, Steve had reached the tour bus and appeared to be calming the passengers as he ushered them out and gave them directions to safety.

Satisfied that this group of trolls was handled, Loki directed his attention to the others. Banner walked in the middle of the group, reluctant to take on his other form until it was necessary. They had yet to find another concentrated group of trolls but they had dispatched of a few wanderers along their way and Bruce had let the others do most of the work. The trolls proved relatively easy to kill, they were strong creatures but had very little intelligence and a well-aimed attack before they had time to think about their foe could kill them rather quickly. Loki’s eyes scanned the screens in front of him, wondering if there was a group of trolls nearby he could warn them about. He saw many trolls, but most near Nat’s group were alone or occasionally in pairs, there was no point in directing them to specific targets without more activity.

Loki realized then that he had yet to see the Enchantress herself. He searched the monitors urgently for some sign of her but found nothing.

“Jor, have you sensed the magic of the Enchantress? I can’t seem to find her in the cameras.” Loki asked. He watched as the serpent looked around before closing his eyes and concentrating.

“I can sense her.” Came his reply a moment later, “But I have been able to sense her since we got out here. I can’t pinpoint where her aura is coming from, it doesn’t seem to lessen or grow no matter where we move but it is very strong, suggesting she must be nearby.”

“Keep an eye out. We need to know where she – Natasha behind you!” Loki growled as a figure appeared directly behind the black widow. She was tall and blonde, dressed in green silks. Loki had no doubt that that it was her, the Enchantress. Natasha whirled but not quite fast enough and the Enchantress struck her hard, sending her flying through the air only to land about 20ft away.

“Natasha? Are you alright?” Loki asks frantically when she doesn’t rise.

“What happened?” Steve asks through the comms, concern in his voice.

“Nat was hit, I don’t think she’s conscious.” Jor answered, slithering over to her and leaving Sleipnir to deal with the Enchantress.

“Fenrir, can you get to her? She may need your help. Head northwest, about 4 blocks.” Loki directed and Fenrir took off running. Steve and Hela stayed behind, taking out more trolls as they followed more slowly.

It didn’t take long before the wolf reached Nat’s side. Sleipnir had distracted the Enchantress and lured her in the direction of Steve and Hela, away from the injured mortal. Loki glanced between the Enchantress and Nat, eager to know what was happening with both.

“Hela, be ready, Sleipnir is bring her to you. Fenrir, how is Nat?” Loki asked.

“She’s conscious, her eyes are open and she’s responsive but she’s not talking. She seems dazed and she’s got a couple cracked ribs along with a fractured wrist. Nothing too big. Oh, and her arm’s out of it’s socket but that’s an easy fix too.“ Fenrir recounted as her examined her.

“You’ll heal her?” Thor asked, landing nearby. Fenrir nodded.

“Of course, it won’t take long.” 

The others left Fenrir and Natasha alone, spreading out to cover more ground. With the Enchantress being handled by Hela and Sleipnir it did not take long to deal with the remaining trolls. They rounded up those they could and Thor called for Heimdall to take them to Asgard for imprisonment. No one argued, the prisons on Earth were not yet adapted to host trolls or creatures of their nature.

Subduing the Enchantress took significantly longer. She was crafty, as quick a thinker on her feet as either Sleipnir or Hela and she evaded their direct attacks quite easily.

“Combine your spells.” Loki whispered to them, “They’ll both become more powerful and harder to evade because they will cover a larger area. You can also cast a spell that will prevent her from going far, cast a net, essentially.” They both nodded their understanding and Hela immediately put up a barrier around themselves and the Enchantress. Though she tried, the Enchantress could not escape the barrier. A few combined spells later, the Enchantress was unconscious and on her way to Asgard as well.

The team was tired when they finally returned to the tower. They walked slowly but held their heads high with pride. Loki immediately stepped forward to embrace his children when they returned and whispered to them about how proud he was as they all blushed.

“So, who’s cooking tonight? I’m starving.” Tony announced, looking around at the others accusingly as he tried to figure out whose turn it was.

“I’ll cook.” Steve said, shrugging. “Won’t be anything fancy.”

“Doesn’t have to be fancy as long as it’s food.” Tony said quickly as he shrugged out of his suit. “Call me when it’s ready.” He said as he walked towards his rooms. The others soon spread out as well, though Nat, Hela, Sleipnir, Jor, and Fenrir opted to go only to the couch. Loki joined them.

“You’ve got some talented offspring, Loki.” Natasha said with a wink as he sat down. “I honestly wouldn’t know my wrist had been broken at all had Fenrir not told me so, it feels as though I’ve never broken it at all.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Fenrir smiled, “You’re the first mortal I’ve used my spells on, I’m pleased they worked as well as they did.” 

“They worked _perfectly_. Thank you.” Nat said as she returned Fenrir’s smile. Loki watched the exchange, his heart happy. He enjoyed having all of his family together and, he realized with a bit of surprise, he considered the Avengers as part of his family as well.

Loki could live with these people contentedly, for as many years as they would let him, and that was a wonderful realization.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for how long it's been since I've updated - I have no good excuse for you. Hopefully this chapter helps to make up for it :)

“Loki? What…?” Steve asked, bewildered, as he opened the pantry door to find the trickster glaring at him. Loki blinked and his expression softened when he realized whom it was that had opened the door.

“I worried Stark had found me. Thankfully it seems I eluded him.” Loki said as he brushed past Steve to exit the pantry.

“And why are you hiding from him?” Steve asked.

“Every time he sets eyes on me he drags me to his lab to show me yet another contraption he has come up with. He is insufferable and unstoppable.” Loki scowled, crossing his arms.

“What sort of contraptions?” Steve asked, confused.

“Stark is utterly convinced that he must change everything in this tower out for a baby-proof version.” Loki rolled his eyes, “He’s already forced me to evaluate his baby-proof coffee maker and microwave, and I don’t doubt the waffle iron is next.” Steve raised an eyebrow and tried to stop the laughter that bubbled in his throat. He failed.

“What?” Loki asked, looking annoyed.

“Nothing.” Steve answered, shaking his head. “It’s just that if you had told me a year ago that Tony Stark would be the most pro-active baby-proofer of any of us I would not have believed it for even a second.”

“Hm. She won’t even be here for another two months, he could at least slow down with it.” Loki grumbled as he rubbed a hand over his stomach. Steve gave Loki a soft smile, placing his own hand on top of Loki’s and giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

“I’ll talk to him, maybe I can convince him that I’m competent enough at knowing what needs to be done.” Steve shrugged.

“Doubtful, the entire reason he insists on consulting me is the fact that I’ve had children before and, as he puts it, I know what to expect when it comes to dealing with a magical child. He forgets how different each of my children are, and that Asgard does not have the same dangers for children that Midgard does.” Loki sighed.

“I’ll still talk to him, maybe I can distract him at least. Now, I originally opened the pantry to find lunch, would you like anything?” Steve asked, grabbing a box of pasta shells as well as the can of tomato sauce.

“No… I’m not hungry.” Loki waved his hand dismissively, though he did take a seat and stayed in the kitchen to watch Steve cook. Steve worked smoothly, and neither said anything for some time.

“Is everything alright Loki? You haven’t talked much today.” Steve asked as he fixed himself a bowl of the pasta and took the seat next to Loki. Loki looked up from where he had been staring at the counter absent-mindedly as he concentrated on his daughter’s movements.

“Oh, yes, fine. I just haven’t gotten much sleep lately. Between her moving constantly and the pressure she puts on my bladder, there’s not much time left to sleep in between.” Loki responded, garnering a look of sympathy from Steve.

“I wish I could do something to help.” Steve sighed. “I’ll try to make up for it once she’s born and I can take a shift caring for her.” Loki smiled; he knew the captain would do his best to keep that promise.

“Have you been to see Vali yet today?” Steve asked between bites. Over the past few weeks Vali had slowly started waking more frequently, and for longer periods of time. Presently, Vali was able to stay awake for the majority of the day if he was able to take short naps every few hours. His wounds still kept him largely immobile, though the smaller ones had nearly closed up.

“Briefly this morning, before Stark found me. Hela was with him when I left, and Sigyn mentioned she would be returning from Asgard today.” Loki shifted in his seat, “I should go back, I promised to bring him a few books.”

“Give me a minute to finish eating and I’ll come with you.” Steve responded, quickly eating his last few bites. The two left the kitchen together and headed for the medical ward, making a quick stop at Loki’s library to get the books for Vali.

They arrived at Vali’s room before long and they could see through the window that he appeared to be awake and chatting with Hela. Both turned to look at them immediately when they entered.

“Mother!” Said Hela excitedly in greeting, Vali’s subtler greeting following not long after.

“Father.” Vali said with a smile, reaching out towards Loki as he spoke. Loki moved to stand next to his bed and carefully embraced his son. Steve smiled at both Vali and Hela in greeting and then moved to stand along the wall behind Hela, leaving the open seat for Loki.

“I was just telling Vali about the time you took us to Alfheim, before he was born.” Hela smiled.

“You remember that trip? You were still quite young, hardly more than a toddler.” Loki chuckled, shaking his head. Hela shrugged.

“I remember how bright and lively it was, though I may have made up some of the details.”

“Father? Baby sister ok?” Vali asked, obviously having forgotten about the story of Alfheim.

“Yes, of course she is Vali.” Loki smiled, moving Vali’s hand to rest on his stomach, “Can you feel her moving?” Loki asked. Vali closed his eyes as a smile crept over his lips.

“Strong baby sister.” Vali sighed contentedly.

“Yes, she is.” Loki agreed, finally moving to sit down next to Hela.

“Vali, we brought some books for you.” Steve said, stepping forward with the small pile of books, which he then handed to Vali. The young boy looked over the books excitedly, though he did not pause on any one in particular.

“Thank you.” Vali said, giving the captain a smile, which made Steve immensely happy. It was rare he got a direct response from Vali as the boy still had trouble talking freely to even his own family. Loki leaned forward in his seat to take hold of one of the books, and held it so Vali could see the cover.

“This was one of your favorites when you were younger. Your mother and I would read it to you at least once a week, do you remember?” Loki asked, opening the book as he spoke. Steve looked on over Loki’s shoulder as he began reading.

“How Odin Lost His Eye and Other Tales of Asgard” Loki read from the title page. The other three in the room listened contentedly as Loki read and Vali drifted off into one of his naps before too long. Loki stopped reading when he reached the end of the story about the Golden Apples.

“Thank you for the story, Mother.” Hela said with a smile as she stood up. “I completely forgot though, I promised Fenrir I would meet him to practice fighting and I think I’m running late.” She hugged both Loki and Steve before flitting away, obviously not wanting to leave Fenrir waiting too long. Steve took the seat Hela had left empty.

“I think, maybe, your kids are warming up to me.” Steve said with a sheepish grin. Loki raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

“They’ve always liked you, ever since they met you. Did you not think so?” Loki asked.

“I don’t know, I guess I knew that but I feel like they’re starting to show it more. Vali responded to me, Hela hugged me casually, it’s the little things I suppose.” Steve smiled.

“Hmm, yes. And there is also the fact that you’re the father of their younger sister, they were all so excited to know she was coming I think they would love whomever her father turned out to be.” Loki grinned, “Not that they wouldn’t like you anyway.”

“Speaking of their younger sister…” Steve started, “We haven’t talked about names yet.”

“Ah, right. I meant to bring that up, I suppose it slipped my mind.” Loki rubbed his stomach, “Did you have any ideas?”

“Well, I had wondered if we could possibly name her after my mother, Sarah. It doesn’t have to be her first name, or if you don’t like it we don’t have to name her after my mother at all…”

“Steve.” Loki held out his hand to stop the captain from saying any more. “I’d be happy to honor your mother with part of our daughter’s name.”

“Thank you.” Steve smiled, “Did you have any ideas for a name?”

“Just one, I haven’t spent too much time thinking of ideas. I had thought perhaps we could name her Skjaldis.” Loki gave a half grin as he looked at Steve, trying to assess what he thought of the name. “It means, roughly, ‘shield goddess’. I thought it would be appropriate, considering your connection to your shield.”

“I do like that as well.” Steve smiled, “Skjaldis is a big name for a little girl though, perhaps we could call her Sky for short?”

“Sky…” Said Loki thoughtfully, his hand resting on his stomach. “Why don’t we name her Sarah Skjaldis, but use the name Sky for her?”

“Sarah ‘Sky’ Skjaldis… I like that.” Steve leaned in to kiss Loki, wrapping an arm around him as well. His daughter had a name; all he needed now was to hold her in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So baby girl finally has a name! I actually decided her name a long time ago but couldn't figure out how to bring it up.


	21. Chapter 21

Well, perhaps they needed a few other things, as Steve realized the next morning while he lay in bed and imagined life after Sky was born. They didn’t have a crib for her to sleep in, anything to feed her (unless Loki…? Steve pushed the thought from his mind), or even any clothes or toys for her. Steve jumped out of bed and left the room to call Clint so he didn’t wake Loki. Over the next hour Steve interrogated Clint about _exactly_ what he and Loki needed to get before Sky arrived and Clint answered dutifully between his newborn son’s crying fits (which reminded Steve quite thoroughly that he may not get much sleep once Sky was born). Steve wrote out the list that Clint dictated to him and looked over it calculatingly once he hung up the phone.

“What have you got there?” A voice asked from somewhere behind him. Natasha.

“Uh, my shopping list I suppose. Loki and I haven’t done a very good job of actually getting prepared and getting everything we need for once Sky is born.” Steve answered, running his fingers through his hair.

“Sky?” Natasha asked as she moved to sit next to Steve where he had ended up on the common room couch.

“Oh, yeah. We finally decided on a name last night. Sarah Skjaldis, or Sky for short.” Steve beamed; he loved saying his daughter’s name.

“That’s beautiful.” Nat commented. “So, you haven’t done any of your shopping yet by the looks of it.” She said as she read Steve’s list.

“No, we haven’t. We’ve been a bit distracted with Vali, and I don’t think Loki realizes how much we need. With his other children, he didn’t really have the same requirements.”

“Right. Can I have this list?” Natasha asked, “You can have it back tomorrow night.” She added when she saw Steve’s panic over losing his only resource on what they needed.

“Sure, I guess. What do you need it for?” Steve asked, but he only got a mischievous wink in reply followed by Nat abruptly leaving the room.

 

Steve wondered throughout the rest of the day and most of the next what, exactly, Natasha was doing with the list of supplies. Steve didn’t even see Nat until she came and found both him and Loki in Vali’s room.

“Get changed, both of you, into something a bit nicer would you?” Nat grinned as she stepped into the room, followed by Sigyn (who had arrived again the night before).

“Go on,” Sigyn encouraged, “We’ll stay with Vali and meet you upstairs in 30 minutes.” Loki and Steve gave both of the women confused looks but Vali’s enthusiastic grin and nodding in agreement convinced them to give in and they left to change.

The two walked into the common room 30 minutes later as directed, although somehow it had been decorated thoroughly in just the short time they had taken to change. There were light pink balloons and silver streamers all over the room and cardboard cutouts of baby toys and teddy bears covered the walls. The other Avengers as well as Sigyn and Loki’s children stood in the center of the room grinning broadly. Most surprisingly, both Vali and Clint were present as well. Vali was laid on the couch and had propped himself up against one of the armrests. Clint looked exhausted, likely from his trip back and from his own young son, and yet he still seemed as excited as the others.

“What is this?” Loki finally asked, looking around the room warily.

“I told them you may not understand Brother,” Thor said, stepping forward with a grin, “But apparently on Midgard it is custom practice to hold a celebration for someone that is having a child!”

“It’s called a baby shower.” Natasha explained, “Basically, it’s an excuse for all of us to give you gifts to help with the baby.” She smiled.

“Gifts?” Steve asked, “That’s what you wanted the list for.” Natasha nodded, smirking.

“We have gifts and we have cake. My recommendation? Open the gifts quickly. That cake is damn tempting.” Tony gave them his press-conference smile and gestured to the (rather large) pile of gifts behind the couch.

“Go ahead and sit down you two, we’ll bring the gifts to you.” Bruce said, motioning for them to sit next to Vali. Loki and Steve took their seats, as the others grabbed their respective gifts from the pile to give them, Sigyn handing one to Vali, which had to be from him. Natasha presented her gift first, or rather gifts, as she handed one to each Loki and Steve.

They opened them simultaneously and both grinned as they saw them. They were baby onesies, perfectly sized for a newborn. One was light blue with a crown on it and said ‘Daddy’s Princess’ while the other was mint green and said ‘Cute but Fierce’.

“Thank you, Nat, these are great.” Steve said. Clint brought his gift next.

“Trust me, you can never have enough.” Clint said as he stepped back. The gift was a large pack of diapers and wipes but also included a changing pad patterned with birds and flowers. Loki laughed at the sight of the diapers.

“Thank you, I’m sure we’ll use all of them.” Loki smiled. Next was Tony’s gift, a mechanical rocker to help put Sky to sleep. Bruce’s gift was another outfit that consisted of purple pants, a white shirt with purple polka dots, a matching purple bow, and tiny white tennis shoes. He also gave them a small, soft, pink baby blanket with the name “Sky” embroidered in one corner. Thor brought them baby bottles and bibs from Asgard.

After they finished with the Avenger’s gifts, Hela stepped forward with hers. It was a small box and Steve wondered what it could possibly be. He let Loki open it. Loki gasped when he saw the tiny gold bracelet in the box. It had 6 small charms on it. One was a coiled snake, another a horse head, the third was a small wolf, and the fourth was simply golden horns, very similar to the ones on Loki’s own helmet. The fifth was another wolf, though this one was lying down and the last charm was a golden star encircled in silver. Loki lifted it gently out of the box so everyone could see.

“It might be too big for her, at first, but it has some of the same charms I have for my necklace.” Hela grinned, “Charms for my family, and now hers as well. We’ll match.” Loki stood and hugged Hela, thanking her. He returned to his seat with Fenrir’s gift in hand, he gave it to Steve to open.

“I opened the last one, your turn.” Loki chided when Steve tried to give it back. Steve nodded before opening it. Fenrir’s gift was a mobile. It had stars and the moon hanging from it, as well as several small animal cutouts. Jor’s gift was a stuffed animal/pacifier 2-in-1 that was an adorable little lion and several other little toys. Sleipnir’s gift included everything they would need for bath time. Vali’s gift was the last from the pile and he handed it over with a smile. Loki opened it and it took him a moment to process what it was. Vali had given them his teddy bear from when he was younger, something he must have specifically requested for Sigyn to bring back.

“Was mine, now hers.” Vali said, grinning at Loki as he gestured back and forth between the bear and Loki’s stomach.

“Thank you, Vali.” Loki said, leaning in to kiss his son’s forehead.

“Thank you very much, all of you.” Steve said, beaming as he looked over everything they had been given, “This really means a lot."

“Hang on,” Sigyn spoke up, “You still have one more gift. We had to hide it, since we couldn’t wrap it. Thor, will you help me get it from the chambers I’ve been staying in?”

“Of course, Lady Sigyn.” Thor bowed his head to her before following her to Loki’s old room. The two returned moments later with a beautiful wooden crib the color of honey.

“Sigyn, is this…?” Loki started as he got up to look at it.

“Yes, it was Vali’s. I had Thor help me transport it from Asgard.” Sigyn responded, giving Loki a fond smile. Steve joined Loki in examining the crib, obviously impressed by it.

“Sigyn, thank you. I’m sure this means a lot to you.” Steve said as he ran his hand over the smooth wood.

“It means just as much to Loki, and he has more use for it.” Sigyn smiled. “I’m happy to let the two of you have it.”

“So, how about cutting into that cake now?” Tony asked and the others chuckled at the eager inventor. They all moved to the kitchen, ready to try this ‘damn tempting’ cake.


End file.
